Slayers of the Old Republic Book II: Taris
by Michael Weyer
Summary: On a Sithoccupied world, Buffy finds an old friend and makes new allies as she races to find her Jedi Master. BuffyStar Wars KOTOR.
1. Chapter 1

Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

Once again, to KOTOR fans, careful with spoilers in reviews for the Buffy folks who haven't played the game. Once again, all comments are welcomed, hope you enjoy.

Buffy's jaw remained open as she switched her lightsaber off, staring in shock at the woman before her. "Faith? I…what are you doing here!"

"Me? What about you?" Faith moved in and embraced Buffy hard. "Oh my God, Buffy! You're alive!"

"Yeah…you too," Buffy said as she hugged back. "I…how did you get here?"

Faith backed up, wiping at her face. "I, um….I was trying to get you when the Hellmouth collapsed. I was moving in, slid on a fallen roof and next thing I know, I'm landing in some heap in the Lower City."

Buffy's jaw dropped. "You've been on this planet for two years?"

Faith nodded. "Yep. Took a while to get used to the language and get the heads up on what was going on. I've tried to adapt ever since."

"Excuse me," Carth gasped as he got back to his feet. "You two know each other?"

"Faith, Carth Onasi, Commander in the Republic fleet," Buffy introduced. "Carth, this is Faith Pryce."

"Formerly of the Taris security forces," Faith said.

Buffy's eyes widened again. "You're with the authorities here?"

"Yep, me as a cop. Whoda thunk it?" Faith smirked. Her smile vanished as she threw the helmet onto a table. "But there's no need for us now that the Sith are in charge."

"The Sith?" an alarmed Carth exclaimed. "The Sith are on Taris?"

Faith snorted. "On it? Buddy, they invaded three weeks ago, wiped out the Republic contingent, took over their base and have the whole planet under quarantine."

"Three weeks?" Carth demanded. "But we've been checking in regularly and gotten a-ok reports all during the trip!"

"They must have been using the old codes to send those signals," Buffy mused. "Damn, they've been leading us into an ambush all this time to get Bastila!"

"Who's Bastila?" Faith asked.

"My Master," Buffy matter-of-factly stated.

Faith drew back. "Well, damn, B…I never woulda guessed you swung that way…"

"Not that kind of Master, Faith!"

Carth couldn't resist a chuckle. "She means Jedi Master."

Faith whirled on Buffy, truly examining her for the first time, taking in her outfit, the braid and the lightsaber at her hip. "B, you're a Jedi?" She chuckled. "Damn, you still gotta outdo me." She jerked her head to the man in the bed. "So who's he?"

"Vance Jarcen," Carth intoned. "Former smuggler turned Republic scout. He does freelance work for us."

Buffy frowned. "You know all that off the top of your head?"

"Well, Bastila requested he be transferred to the _Endar Spire_ just before we left," Carth explained. "It was pretty unusual but then again the Jedi were throwing their weight around a lot. Hell, they practically took over the whole ship." He glanced at Buffy. "No offense."

"None taken," Buffy said. "We can push it in terms of arrogance."

Carth sighed as he sat on a small chair. "Okay…Faith? What's the situation on the planet now?"

"Well, for starters," Faith began. "Taris used to be a nice place. Whole planet is practically one huge city. We're in the Upper City where most of the nobles live, merchants and cantinas. Aliens aren't exactly outlawed but they're also not exactly encouraged to come up." A sour look came over her face. "That's one rule the Sith are all too eager to keep going."

Buffy and Carth nodded, both aware of the anti-alien bias the Sith had. "The Lower City," Faith went on. "Is dirtier and nastier and more alien-populated. It's mostly made up of gangs of swoop riders but at the moment there's two big ones: the Black Vulkars and the Hidden Beks. The Beks used to be the prime player but then the Vulkars started to boost ranks and it's been ugly since. We used to go down there practically three or four times a week to break up violence but eventually, the higher-ups just decided to ignore it all and issue warnings to folks to stay away."

"What else?" Buffy asked.

"Well, the Undercity is the lowest of the low. The people there are Outcasts, denied entry to the city above. Taris judicial system is pretty extreme and there's really only two punishments. Execution or exile to the Undercity." Her face darkened. "From what I can tell, most folks prefer execution. Only been down there once but…ugh, that was enough."

"So the Sith are in total control?" Carth asked.

Faith nodded. "Fraid so. If you're gonna get around, you're gonna have to do it carefully."

Carth sighed as he sat on the bed. "Dammit. Okay, we're still exhausted, Vance is probably going to be out for a while so I guess we should get some rest and tackle this whole thing in the morning."

"Good idea," Buffy said. "You can take the other bed, I'll take the floor."

"You don't have to do that."

"It's okay. I won't sleep long anyway."

Carth shrugged as he slid off his jacket and put his blasters on a side table. He lay back on the pillow and within moments was asleep.

Buffy turned to where Faith was studying Vance. "Is it me," she asked. "Or does he kinda look a bit like Angel?"

"You see it too, huh?"

"Well, they say everyone has a double somewhere in the world. Why shouldn't it be certain that they have one in the universe?" Faith smiled at her fellow Slayer. "Damn, B, it's good to see you again."

"You too," Buffy said, smiling back. "It's been so crazy trying to handle being away from everyone. Willow, Giles, Xander, Dawn…"

Faith nodded. "I know…it was tough for me too. I found myself right back to being on my own, having to fend for myself. It wasn't a pleasant experience."

"You look like you survived okay."

"Yeah, well, still got the Slayer stuff."

"You do? Well, that's one up on me."

Faith was surprised. "You…you're not a Slayer anymore?"

"Well, I still consider myself one," Buffy quickly said. "But I guess the trip sucked most of it out of me somehow. Took a while to get used to being semi-normal again."

Faith smirked. "Says the Jedi gal."

Buffy shrugged as she sat down on the floor and folded her legs under her. "It's not too bad. I've actually gotten good at it with the Force and all."

"Interesting," Faith said as she sat across from her. "How come you can use it so well?"

"Maybe it's to make up for the Slayer powers," Buffy mused. "Or, again, that leap in the portal. I sort of stopped thinking about it myself and just learn to live with it."

Faith chuckled. "Same old B, going with the flow."

Buffy smiled briefly before closing her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she let herself drift into a restful meditative state. Seeing what she was doing, Faith set herself back on the floor and tried to drift off herself, reflecting on the new events.

_One thing's for sure. Life on Taris just got a whole lot more fun._


	2. Chapter 2

Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

The groans got Buffy's attention as she woke up. Her eyes opened and instantly took in her surroundings. Shafts of morning light were coming in through the window nearby and Carth and Faith were already up. Her eyes flicked over to where Vance was shifting on the bed. His eyes shot open and he sat up, gasping.

"Take it easy," Buffy stated as she came up. "It's okay."

Vance looked to her, blinking and sucking in breaths. "You…you're that Jedi…from the ship…"

"Elaine Somers." Faith glanced at her but kept quiet. Carth noted how she seemed surprised to hear that name and made a mental note to question it later. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked Vance.

"Think so," the man answered as he swung up to rise out of the bed. "Head still hurts a bit but otherwise…"

"Yeah, you bumped it pretty bad," Carth stated. "But good to see you up and around. We're going to need all the help I can get if we're going to rescue Bastila."

"Bastila?" Vance asked. "That Jedi? Why does she need rescuing? And where are we, anyway?"

Carth quickly brought him up to speed on the events on Taris and introduced Faith. "So we're pretty much on our own."

"Quick question," Faith piped up. "What's so important about this Bastila chick? How can one Jedi be so big?"

"Her gift," Buffy explained. "Bastila has a special ability called battle meditation. In battle, she can basically boost the morale of the Republic forces and dampen those of the Sith, which can make all the difference."

"It's that battle meditation that's helped us against the Sith," Carth said. "Malak wants to find her and kill her so she can't help us anymore."

"No, he doesn't."

Carth turned to Buffy, puzzled. "What?"

The young Jedi's face was drawn. "He won't kill her unless he has no other choice. His first choice would be to capture her alive and try to turn her to the Dark Side. If she were to use her meditation on the Sith…" She let the implications hang over the room.

"Damn, I never thought of that," Carth muttered. "And he could do it too. I've heard horrible things about what the Force can do. They say it can strip away your mind, your entire identity and replace it with anything they'd want!"

"Only the Sith do that," Buffy snapped. "We Jedi use it in better ways."

"I don't know about this," Vance mused, his arms crossed. "I was only hired on to do some scouting and translating duties. Hell, they never got around to telling me what the real job was! I'm not exactly thrilled about risking my neck like this!"

Carth narrowed his eyes. "You swore an oath to help the Republic, mister. Freelance or not, you have a duty and you're damn well going to do it!"

"Okay, okay, easy," Buffy said, holding up her hands as she stepped between the two men. "Let's not start fighting among ourselves. Right now, let's figure out our first move." She turned to Faith. "As the Taris expert, where do you think we should go?"

Faith stroked her chin. "Well, we can start with the Lower City cantina. The folks there could know more about any crashed escape pods than the upper city folk. The Uppers are trying to live their lives as normal, ignore the Sith."

"We'd better get started then," Carth said. "We're going to need some supplies though and that means credits."

"Gee, let me find my wallet," Vance said as he patted his pockets. He then smacked his head. "Oh, yeah, I left it on my dresser….which is currently floating in a million pieces over the planet!"

"Relax, pal," Faith said as she knelt under the bed and pulled out a large lockbox. She hit a quick code and opened it to reveal a huge pack of credits in a nice bundle."

"Whoa," Buffy said as she looked at it. "How'd you make so much money?"

"Just used my God-given skills," Faith casually said.

Buffy saw both Carth and Vance raking their eyes over Faith's body. "She didn't mean that way!" she yelled. She paused and turned to Faith. "You don't mean that way, do you?"

Faith chuckled. "Please, B! Despite what you've always thought, I got standards! Nah, I made it different ways." She rummaged through the locker and brought out a small datapad. She handed it to Buffy, who pressed a few keys to bring up its contents.

She saw a series of video files of Faith in what appeared to be some sort of arena fighting a series of people. In some, she was using a blaster. In others, it was hand to hand combat with blades. In every case, Faith was easily besting her opponents, from an elderly man who went down with no problem to a large armored figure who ended up on the end of her bladed spear.

Buffy saw a small title appear under her name and raised an eyebrow. "The Mysterious Stranger?"

"Hey, it wasn't my idea," Faith defended herself. "I was just looking to make some cash and someone suggested the dueling arena. Did pretty well too, took out all the other competitors. It's non-lethal, suppressor fields and such so no one gets hurt."

"Except for this last guy," Buffy noted.

Faith grimaced. "Yeah. Bendak Starkiller. He was a big gladiator back when they fought to the death. When they outlawed death matches, he hung it up but came back to face me. I didn't realize he was going to take it so seriously so…" She tried to shrug but Buffy knew it was still haunting her.

"Looks like you took him down," Vance noted, looking over Buffy's shoulder.

"Yeah, I did," Faith answered. "And it turned out, he had a big bounty on his head so next thing I know, I'm in the bounty-hunting business."

"Bounty-hunting?" Carth was getting a bad feeling about this.

"Relax," Faith said, waving her hand. "I only hunted guys who deserved it. Although I did skirt the rules a bit. Like this one guy who had testified against Davik and had a price on his head. I helped him fake his death by blowing up his apartment. He got away clean and I got the reward for it."

"Nice," Vance said with admiration.

"Who's Davik?" Buffy asked.

"Davik Kang," Faith explained. "He's a member of the Exchange, the big intergalactic crime syndicate. He pretty much runs all the crime on Taris, gambling, smuggling, slavery, the works."

"Is he working for the Sith?"

Faith snorted. "Please. He hates the Sith as much as everyone. And he especially hates how this quarantine is cutting into his business. But he's smart enough to know not to fight them but just stay out of their way."

"Well, now that our representative from the Taris Chamber of Commerce has spoken," Vance asked with impatience. "Can we get on with this?"

"First things first," Faith said as she headed to the small closet. "I think I got a few things you can fit into, B."

Buffy frowned. "Fit into?"

Faith looked her over. "The robes, the lightsaber, the braid…B, you might as well flash a sign to every Sith soldier out there telling them you're a Jedi."

"She's right," Carth agreed. "The less attention we draw the better. They're already going to be on the lookout for any survivors."

Buffy sighed as she reached to take the top Faith was offering. "Let's just hope your dress sense has improved."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The four left the apartment a few moments later. Buffy was now clad in a loose dark tunic and dark pants with a blazer-like jacket. The pants had some large circular pockets, one of which was perfect to hide Buffy's lightsaber. She had combed the braid into her hair, something she knew Bastila would have a fit over but it hid it well.

Faith was clad in leather pants and dark leather top with jacket. She wore a long vibrosword attached to a scabbard on her back, a remnant of her gladiator days. Beside her, Vance had supplied himself with his own sword while Carth was holding his trusty pair of blasters.

They had barely taken three steps out of the apartment when they saw an altercation taking place. On one side were a pair of Duros and Faith and Buffy noted how similar the race was to the fabled "grey aliens" often mentioned on Earth. They looked quite alike with their large heads, grey skin and big pupil-less eyes. At the moment, they were facing a trio of Sith, one officer and two soldiers.

"You'd better tell us what you know of the Tarsian underground, alien scum," the officer was hissing. "Otherwise, we will make your lives very difficult and very painful."

We know nothing of this underground one of the aliens replied. We are just honest merchants trying to reach our work… 

"And where are your work papers?" the officer demanded. "All aliens must show clearance before they can proceed anywhere in this city!"

The younger of the Duros shook his grey head. There was a patrol here just yesterday and they found nothing! Why do you Sith keep bothering us? 

Without a word, the officer fired point-blank into the alien's chest, sending him down to the ground, dead. Faith moved forward but Buffy put a hand out to stop her. However, the move got the attention of the officer, who whirled on them. "So, do we have more troublemakers here? Humans hiding out with the aliens?" His eyes raked over them, taking in the professional appearance of Carth and he leaped to a conclusion. "They're Republic fugitives! Quickly, get-----"

Before the words were out of his mouth, Carth had quick-drawn and fired his blasters, cutting him down. Vance was moving in, his sword drawn out and slammed it into the throat of one of the armored soldiers, right at the vulnerable point. The man choked as he went down. The other soldier dropped to his knee and aimed at Carth but Faith rushed in to kick him in the side of the head, sending him rolling on the floor. Spinning, Vance jammed the sword point into the man's upper back, another lethal blow.

It was odd for Buffy to feel left out in a combat situation but she had to admit her appraisal of the two men had just gone up drastically. Vance yanked his sword out and wiped it on the dead officer's shirt. "Damn, I wish they didn't have all this armor. Makes it harder to cut with just a vibro."

Buffy looked to the Duros. "Are you okay?"

The alien nodded as he looked down at his companion's body. Poor Xgil he murmured. He should never have talked back. He looked up to the others. My thanks for your aid, humans. This isn't the first time the Sith have come here to bother us. Hopefully, it will be the last. 

"Won't someone come to check on them?" Buffy asked as she saw Vance kneeling to search the Sith. He pulled a sword off the officer's body and pocketed a couple of credits.

The Duros shook his head. Do not worry. I will move them to make it look like they were killed somewhere else. That should keep the Sith off the trail for a while. My thanks again, humans." With another bow of the head, he started to drag the bodies away.

Carth glanced to Vance, who was hefting the Sith blade in his hands. "Wouldn't you be better off with a blaster?"

"Never been good with those," Vance stated. "I'm better with a blade, trust me."

"Another fun day in Taris," Faith announced as she led the way to the elevator leading to the outside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the daylight, Taris looked a bit better. The silver skyscrapers shone bright in the morning sun, casting shadows on the walkways below. As the quartet exited, they saw some droids working around a fallen escape pod with a pair of Sith troops overseeing it. They quickly moved on to merge with the crowds of civilians walking about.

"Nice place," Buffy said. "Reminds me of Coruscant, only a bit less crowded."

"Reminds me of Nar Shadda," Vance countered. "Only the smell is a lot better."

"Only up here," Faith said. "Once we get to the lower parts, you'll see a difference."

They kept the walk up, passing by shoppers, people heading to work, the odd Sith soldier and others. They saw a man standing on a corner, trying to preach about "the evils of the aliens among us!" Buffy shook her head as she leaned in toward Faith. "Reminds you of L.A., huh?" The other Slayer grinned.

They were passing by a large doorway when Faith paused. "We better stop here for some supplies. There's no telling what we could run into and a couple medpaks might make a difference." The others had to agree as they entered the medical facility before them.

Behind a counter, a middle-aged black man in a dark suit looked up and smiled. "Hello there. I can see that a couple of you are off-worlders. Get stuck here by the quarantine, eh? Well, never let it be said that Zelka Forn refused aid to others just because of their origins."

"Then we won't say it," Buffy stated with a slight smile. "We just need a few supplies."

"Certainly," Forn said as he led the way to the supply counter nearby. "I'm afraid my stock isn't as large as it should be because of the quarantine. But at least the Sith have their own medical stores so I won't have to worry about them moving in and taking my inventory."

"Is that a common thing?" Carth asked, trying to make it sound like an innocent question.

"Oh, it's happened at a few places," Forn said as he went over the supplies. "Mostly, it's from the weapons merchants, to take the high-end arms away. They hate the idea of the citizens here having firepower. It might give some the idea to start a rebellion. I've also heard that they've taken some of the more advanced droids and parts from the droid sellers. However, as I said, I've managed to stay out of their sight."

"That's good," Buffy said. "We'd like a few medpacks, maybe a antidote kit or two if you have them?"

"No problem," Forn stated. "I have medical supplies for almost anything…save rakghoul disease of course."

"Rakghoul disease?" Vance asked with a frown. "What's that?"

Forn's face darkened. "A very terrible affliction that has plagued Taris for as long as I can remember. It is confined to the Undercity, a deadly virus spread by some sort of creatures. Those who are infected are doomed to mutate into those creatures, becoming mindless beasts."

"There's no cure?" Buffy asked.

"No," Forn stated. "Although I hear the Sith have a serum that can treat the effects if administrated quickly enough. I do believe that if I were to get hold of a sample, I could synthesize a cure." He shrugged. "However, as you can imagine, the Sith aren't too interested in sharing."

"Too bad," Faith stated. "Say, ah, you know anything about any Republic escape pods that crashed in the city?"

"Escape pods?" Forn started. "Ah, no, no I don't."

It didn't take Jedi senses to tell that Forn was lying through his teeth. Buffy glanced around the shop, her eyes resting on a locked door nearby. She moved toward it as the others kept pressing the doctor.

"You must know something," Vance stated.

"I am too busy running my facility to care about such things!" Forn said, a bead of perspiration running down his balding head. "I know nothing about this!"

Faith leaned in. "Here's a tip, Doc. Make sure you stick to the whole confidentiality thing with your patients. Cause, buddy, you suck as a liar."

Buffy felt the presence behind the wall and moved her hand over the lock. She concentrated, letting herself pull at the mechanism, which wasn't as hard as she thought it'd be. There was a rumble as the doors slid open.

"Hey! Get away from there!" Forn called out as he rushed from the counter and to Buffy. The Jedi had entered the room, which turned out to be some sort of laboratory. Before her were a pair of large tanks, each holding a body suspended in kolto.

Forn stopped, a look of fear coming on his face as the others came behind him to take in the sight. Carth frowned for a moment before his eyes widened. "Wait a minute…I recognize them from the _Spire!_"

Forn looked at him. "You do? But then…you must be with the Republic."

"Not just that," Buffy said, opening one of her pockets enough for Forn to see her lightsaber.

The doctor visibly relaxed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if you were actually Sith agents trying to smoke me out. Since the battle in space, people have been brining me some soldiers from escape pods. A couple were minor ones, I managed to patch them up and they went their own way. Sadly, most of have been like these, their injuries far too severe to do anything."

"So…they're dying?" Faith softly asked.

Forn sadly nodded. "I'm afraid so. I figure the least I can do is make their last few days as comfortable as possible. It's better if they're getting some treatment instead of being in a Sith torture cell.

"Well, for that, you have my thanks," Carth said with obvious gratitude. "It's good to know at least some of these men landed in compassionate hands."

Nodding, Forn shut the door and led the way back to the counter. "Well, let's get you rung up with your needs." He quickly added things up and handed them a small pad.

Faith took it and frowned. "Wait a sec…it should be more expensive than this."

A slight smile came to Forn's face. "Let's just say you all qualify for a…special discount." Faith returned the smile as she handed the credits over to him and within minutes they were on their way.

"Okay, spill," Vance stated. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

It took Carth a moment to realize Vance was talking to him. "Excuse me?"

Vance stopped and faced the Republic soldier. "You've been giving me the eye almost since we hit the streets. So come on, what is it about?"

Carth sighed. "I didn't mean…I was just trying to piece it all together. I'm trying to figure out why you, a guy who was added onto the roster at the last minute, was one of the few to escape. It just…it seems off somehow."

"Wait, are you suggesting I had something to do with the attack?" Vance said with obvious anger. "Come on, you heard Faith! The Sith have been in control here for weeks, they obviously had the whole ambush set up in advance!"

"But they still had to know we'd be coming here," Carth stated. "Listen, maybe I'm reading too much into it. Maybe I'm being paranoid. Still, I learned not to take things at face value and I hate to be surprised."

"Hey, we're on the same side."

"I know and it doesn't have to do with you personally. I just don't trust anyone. For my own reasons." He shot the two Slayers a look. "And no, I am not going to explain them so don't ask."

Faith and Buffy exchanged an uneasy look, neither happy with the direction this partnership was going. Vance was still seething as the group walked down a few blocks before coming to an elevator. A Sith soldier stood guard before it. "Shit," Faith said. "I didn't know they were actually guarding these things."

"Should we take him down?" Vance asked.

"It could cause too much of a fuss," Carth said. "We'd better find another way."

"No need," Buffy said as she calmly walked toward the soldier. "I've got this." The three exchanged confused looks as Buffy walked up to the soldier. The man stiffened and held out a hand. "Halt. Only those with authorization can go to the Lower City!"

"We have the authorization," Buffy said, her voice calm and even, her eyes fixed on the soldier's visor as she made a little wave with her hand.

"You…have the authorization," the soldier repeated in a flat tone.

"We can all go down."

"You can all go down."

"You don't have to remember us being here."

"I don't have to remember you being here."

Buffy moved to punch the pad and open the elevator doors. She shot the others a triumphant smile as she stepped in. Carth, Vance and Faith quickly moved in to join her as the doors shut closed.

Buffy let out a breath and shook her head. "Damn, I've still got to work so that doesn't take so much out of me."

"You did great," Carth informed her. "Looks like our odds just got a whole lot better."

"Not bad, B," Faith stated. "Beats our contingency plan."

"Which was?" Buffy asked.

"Flash him and Vance could punch him out while he was ogling."

Vance and Carth looked to each other, then at Buffy. "Is she serious?"

Buffy shrugged. "To tell the truth, I gave up wondering long ago."

It was the men's turn to worry about their female partners as the elevator took them down.


	3. Chapter 3

Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

The smell assailed them as soon as they stepped off the elevator. "Damn," Carth gasped. "Scratch this place off the next shore leave."

"Ah, now I'm really reminded of Nar Shadda," Vance said, wrinkling his nose.

"Now you get why the Uppers like to stay up there," Faith said as she led the way down the corridors. They stopped as they saw two gangs facing off with one another. Each was a mix of humans, Rodian, Ithorian and Twi'leks. One gang wore red and orange clothing, the others in tan. "Ah, shit," Faith muttered.

A Ithorian in tan pointed at the other gang. _"This is Vulkar territory! You Beks shouldn't be here!"_

A Bek Rodian snapped at him. _"You Vulkars can't keep pushing us around! We'll fight to be here!"_

_"You'll die here then!" _With that, the groups went at it with daggers and vibroblades. Seeing as how the Vulkars outnumbered the Beks two to one, it wasn't too surprising that within minutes, the four Beks lay dead on the ground. The lead Vulkar turned to see the new arrivals. _"So…big bad intruders from above, eh? You should have just kept walking!" _

"Ah, hell," Carth muttered as he yanked his blasters up and fired a trio of shots into the leader's chest. As he went down, the others moved, blades out, Buffy's lightsaber flashing in the dim lighting. She sliced through one Vulkar's blade, cutting through it and its owner's head. Faith dodged another Vulkar's strike to slice him across the back, then buried her blade into the chest of another. Vance was a whirlwind with the two swords he carried, cutting down a pair of Vulkars, blocking the thrust of another before slicing his throat. Carth's steady aim soon took the last of the Vulkar's down.

The four checked each other over to make sure they were okay. "Damn," Buffy said as she switched her saber off. "I forgot how easy non-Sith can be."

"Don't get cocky," Faith quickly said. "These were just some lower-rung gang guys. If we were to run into any of Davik's men…well, he's stricter in hiring practices."

Carth and Vance quickly checked over the bodies to pull out credits and other materials they might need. "We'd better get moving before someone finds this," Carth stated.

"They'll probably think they just killed each other," Faith stated as she led the way down the hallways. "But yeah, we'd better move. Come on, Javyar's is nearby. It's a cantina, neutral ground and just the place to get some info."

"What's it like?" Buffy asked as she followed the other woman."

"Remember Willy's?"

"Yeah?"

"Not quite that high-class."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It didn't matter what galaxy it was, a cantina was still a cantina. There was the buzz of conversation in various languages, a haze of smoke, music from a band nearby, the usual atmosphere of danger and greed.

As the four entered, they saw a trio of Vulkars coming toward a man sitting at the bar. He was a short and stocky man dressed in a blue cloak, black gloves and pants and an elaborate suit of armor under his tunic. A large white cowl covered most of his head and face and large mirrored glasses, almost like goggles, covered his eyes.

The man didn't look up but simply spoke in a flat tone. "Go away."

_"Hey, you no talk to us like that!"_ a Rodian taunted. _"We just want to say hello to the big bad bounty hunter, Calo Nord!"_

_"This can't be Calo Nord!" _a Twi'lek laughed. _"Calo Nord said to be big and tough! This guy's just a runt!"_

"One," Nord flatly intoned, still staring at his drink.

_"What? What, you trying to be funny?"_

_"We're Black Vulkars! You don't wanna be funny with us!"_

"Two."

_"One? Two? What, you counting?"_

_"Counting how many of us against you? Make it easy, little man. Three of us. One of you. Big trouble for you!"_

"Three."

Even Buffy couldn't follow what happened next. In a move so fluid it hardly registered to the eye, Nord swung away from his chair and smashed the glass mug into one Rodian's face. As he staggered back, Nord hopped off his stool, drew a pair of blasters and fired three times. As the three Vulkars dropped dead to the ground, each killed by a single shot, Nord slid his blasters back into their holsters.

All action nearby froze as everyone stared at the amazing aftermath, most not even seeing what happened. Nord bent to examine one dead Vulkar, pulling out his purse. He rummaged about to throw some coins on the bar, poured the rest of the credits into his own pocket and dropped the purse on the owner's body. He walked toward the exit, pausing as he saw Buffy, Faith, Carth and Vance all staring at him.

"One."

Very quickly, the four immediately scattered out of his way.

"Smart," Nord noted with the faintest trace of amusement as he marched past them and out the exit. The bar started to go back to normal, a pair of bouncers already dragging the bodies away.

"So that was Calo Nord," Vance breathed. "I…I didn't think he was actually real. I thought he was just some story they created to scare smugglers."

"Did you see how he moved?" Carth asked.

"Actually, no," Buffy stated, suppressing a shiver. "There's a story that the Sith hired him to take out a group of Jedi on Felucia."

"Did he?"

Buffy shrugged. "They never came back from their mission. It's possible they ran into some lifeform there or a Sith attack. I thought it was impossible for one guy to take out five Jedi. But now…"

Before Faith could reply to that, they heard a loud female voice. "Bug off, creep!" The four turned and moved into the cantina. Near the spot where Nord had killed the three Vulkars, they saw a pair of Rodians hassling a young woman. She was Twi'lek with blue skin, the tentacles that were unique to her species flowing free from her head with a dark band between them. She wore leather pants and a dark jacket with gloves, an annoyed expression on her face as she faced the two aliens.

_"Litte girl shouldn't be here alone," _one Rodian sneered. _"Little girl not too bright, shouldn't be here alone."_

"I said, back off if you know what's good for you!" the Twi'lek barked.

The other Rodian laughed. _"Ooooh, little girl got big mouth! Maybe she need lesson in manners?"_

Instead of showing fear, the Twi'lek just turned and called out. "Hey, Zaalbar, a little help here?"

The answer came in a series of roars and it took Buffy a moment to realize what language it was. She smiled at the others. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

"Come on, you can wait a minute!" the Twi'lek called out. "You could use a workout by ripping these guys' legs off!"

There was a sigh and then a massive figure appeared beside her. It was a Wookie, standing nearly seven feet tall, covered completely in brown fur with a loose pair of shoulder straps attached to a belt its own clothing. He moved in and glared at the two Rodians, who immediately backed up. _"We don't want no trouble with Wookie!" _one said.

The Twi'lek grinned. "You got a problem with me, you got a problem with Big Z. Now get out of here before he gets mad. He's already annoyed at missing his meal."

_"Little girl lucky she got big friend!"_ the Rodian said as he and his companion quickly walked away. The girl was chuckling as the group came up to her, Faith wearing a bemused expression. "Still got a way with people, huh, Mission?"

The Twi'lek's face brightened. "Faith! Hi, it's good to see you again! What brings you down here?"

"Ah, just giving some friends the tour," Faith said. "This is Carth, Vance and…Elaine," she said, giving Buffy a look that Carth noticed. "Guys, this is Mission Vao and the big lug with her is Zaalbar."

The Wookie grunted a greeting and Buffy smiled. "Good to meet you as well, Zaalbar."

Vance nodded and spoke something that sounded like a series of barks. The Wookie's eyes widened. _"You know the language of my people? That is rare for humans!"_

"I have a knack for languages," Vance explained. He looked to Mission. "I have to admit, you're only the third of fourth Twi'lek I've met who speaks Basic."

"Most of us learn it," Mission stated. "Most just prefer to speak their own language. Me, I grew up here in Taris so I find it a bit easier to just stick with Basic." She crossed her arms as she looked over the group. "So, off-worlders, huh? Let me guess, you were coming by for a quick stopover and got stuck here by the quarantine, huh? Well, if you need any info, you've come to the right place! Me and Big Z have explored all over the city, even the Undercity and sewers. What do you guys need?"

"Actually, we're looking for information on the Hidden Beks," Buffy said.

"The Beks? Yeah, me and Z hang out there a lot. Gandon, that's the leader, he's a great guy!"

"We heard there were some…troubles with them and the Vulkars."

Mission snorted. "That's the understatement of the year! The Beks and Vulkars have always been rivals but it wasn't too serious. That all changed when Gandon got into a swoop bike accident that damaged his eyes. He got some special implants to allow him to see but was still technically blind. Everyone figured he'd step down and let Brejik, his second in command, take over as leader. But Gandon didn't think Brejik was quite ready and stuck on."

"Bet that didn't make Brejik happy," Carth said.

"You better believe it," Mission continued. "That miserable Hutt-spawn quit and defected to the Vulkars. Gandon was practically a father to that punk and Brejik just spat on all he'd done for him! Next thing you know, the Vulkars are fighting, looting, attacking passerbys and the Beks! This whole damn gang war is all Brejik's fault."

Carth nodded as he took the news in. "Is Brejik connected to Davik?"

"There are rumors but nothing proven. I wouldn't put it past either one of them to do something like that. Course Davik's already got a few things on his plate. One's Calo Nord."

"The bounty hunter who just came through here?"

"Yep. My bet is that he was brought here to do a job but got stuck with everyone else when the Sith took over. He's probably gone as soon as he gets the chance. And if Davik has his way, that'll be soon."

"What do you mean?" Vance asked.

"Well…" Mission rubbed her chin. "There's some rumors that Davik's got some souped-up ship, the fastest on the planet. Problem is, if he tries to leave without the right access codes, the Sith fleet will blast it to pieces. But if I know Davik, he's got a half-dozen plans to get those codes by now."

Carth and Vance shared a knowing look. "Thanks for the info, Mission," Faith stated. "Say, you know anything about any Republic escape pods that might have crashed."

"No," Mission said. "But the Beks might."

"We'd better check with them then," Buffy said. "It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, me and Z better get going. I wanted to check out something anyway."

"_But Mission, I still haven't had my meal!"_ Buffy had to bite back a smile. She didn't think it was possible to hear a Wookie whine.

"Will you quit thinking with your stomach for ten seconds?" Mission asked as the two headed off.

Vance smiled at Faith. "Quite the unique pair. How do you know them?"

"Ran into them a couple of times during the job," Faith answered. "They're not crooks, just trying to survive so I just let her off with a warning."

"Still, a Twi'lek and a Wookie…not exactly the sort of pairing you'd expect."

"Mission said it's the perfect combo, his muscle and her street smarts," the Slayer replied. "In this place, strength in numbers is a good thing."

"A good fact to bear in mind," Buffy agreed as they headed back out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Beks base wasn't far from the cantina and the group was passing another intersection when they saw a man in a dark outfit facing off against two Vulkars. "You Vulkars have been slacking off with your payments," the man was saying in a hard tone. "You think because you're in a gang, you can slack off your dues?"

One Vulkar had a sour look on his face. "I don't see Davik risking his neck. We take the risks, we do the work. I'd like to see him come down here and take our money."

The man smiled. "Okay, have it your way." He let out a sharp whistle and from the shadows, a man stepped forward. He was about six feet tall and broad-shouldered with a hard muscular physique. His square-jawed faced was marked with several scars and his hair was cut in a quite short military style. He wore light pants with thick boots, a muscle shirt with brown vest and he carried a blaster cannon as large as Buffy's leg.

There was no doubt what the man was. If ever a person could be the definitive picture of a Mandalorian, it was him.

The Vulkars apparently realized it, both becoming quite nervous. "Hey…hey, Canderous," one stammered. "We…we didn't know you were working for Davik now."

"Now you do," the Mandalorian said in a cool tone.

"Um…okay…here's the cut!" one Vulkar quickly said, throwing a whole bag to the other man. "Take it, we don't want any trouble."

"Smart move," the gangster sneered. "Now get out of here!" The two Vulkars quickly raced off as the Mandalorian lowered his gun.

"Too bad," he growled. "I was looking forward to busting some heads."

"Maybe next time," the gangster said. "I've got to get this over to Davik." He walked away as Canderous watched him. His back was to the group so it was a bit startling when he suddenly spoke up. "Those Vulkars are dumber than a Coruscant granite-slug. They actually think being part of that pathetic little gang makes them important. Gandon's smart enough to keep the Beks in line but Brejik's getting delusions of grandeur. Can't wait for Davik to slap the little punk down."

"Who are you?" Buffy asked.

The man turned and fixed her with a steely glare. "I'm someone you don't want to get on the bad side of. And I don't have time to waste talking to some off-worlder." With that, he turned and marched into the shadows of the hallways.

"Good riddance," Carth muttered. "Last time I was this close to a Mandalorian, I had to put a blaster shot between his eyes. Trust me, this guy was on the friendly side."

"He didn't seem happy," Faith noted.

Buffy nodded. "Must be hell for him."

Carth gaped at her. "Are you kidding me? He's a thug and a mercenary, how can you sympathize with him?"

"He used to be a warrior and now he's just an enforcer," Buffy said. "Believe me, Carth, I know how it feels to lose out on something you were once a big part of."

Carth shook his head. "No offense, Elaine," he put special emphasis on that name. "But you were just a kid during the wars. You haven't seen what those butchers did to helpless, innocent civilians. I'm not wasting any time sympathizing with him."

There was obviously something hanging over Carth but none of the other three was in the mood to explore it right now. Instead, they made their way down the hallway to come to a door with a female human guarding it.

"Hold it!" she snapped. "This is Hidden Bek territory. What's your business?"

"We want to speak to Gandon," Buffy said diplomatically.

The guard sniffed. "Lots of people want to speak to him. Like the Vulkars and the Sith. He's got too many enemies to let anyone in!"

"We can be allies against those enemies," Buffy said, putting the mildest touch of Force persuasion into her words.

The guard thought about it and nodded. "Well, you don't look like Sith, that's true. And I doubt you'd be dumb enough to try anything in Gandon's own base. Okay, you can go in. But watch yourselves." She hit a code and the doors behind her slid open.

The quartet entered to see various beings milling about, all in Bek colors. Some were playing a card game, others working on a swoop bike in the corner, a couple milling about a table at the rear. Seated behind it was a black man in a nice riding suit. His eyes seemed glassy, as if blind yet he seemed to be studying a data pad. Next to him was a Twi'lek woman, her skin pale and her eyes cold as she focused on the approaching guests.

"Hold it!" she snapped in Basic. "Who are you and what do you want! If you're here for trouble, you're going to get more than you can handle!"

"Easy, Zaerdra," the man said. "No one's going to try anything in our own base. It'd be a suicide mission."

The woman kept her gaze focused on Buffy and Vance as she addressed the man. "You're too trusting, Gandon. Brejik and the Vulkars want you dead! These people may be spies or assassians sent by them! It's my job to protect you and any stranger is a potential threat!"

"So we just attack anyone on sight?" Gandon demanded as he rose to his feet. "How does that make us better than the Vulkars? I won't let it come to that!"

He turned to the group and sighed. "You'll have to forgive Zaerdra. She's been a bit overprotective of me. She forgets I can take care of myself," he directed at his second, who bristled a bit. Shaking his head, Gandon returned his attention to the group. "I'm sorry. I'm Gandon, leader of the Hidden Beks. How can I help you?"

"We're looking for information on any Republic escape pods that may have crashed," Carth explained.

"Escape pods?" Gandon frowned. "Interesting…You don't look like Sith, that's for sure."

"They could be spies working for them," Zaerdra interjected with hard suspicion in her voice.

Gandon glared at her. "If the Sith thought we knew anything, they'd send an entire battalion to kick our door down!"

"I take it you have problems with the Sith?" Vance asked.

Gandon snorted. "A hostile army invades our planet, takes over and declares martial law? You're damn right, I have a problem with it! So far, they've left us alone, which is smart. If they came down in force, all the gangs would put aside any differences and unite against them. We'd use guerilla tactics, urban warfare, hit and run attacks. That would put a dent in those tin-plated bastards."

"Don't fool yourself," Carth stated. "The Sith would never do that. They'd do something more…more grand like total bombardment to wipe you all out!" Faith noticed a tremble of anger in his voice when he spoke, as if it was from experience.

"I've tried to explain that to Brejik," Gandon said. "But he refuses to listen to reason and instead keeps up this stupid gang war." He sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes I think it would have been better if I'd just stepped down and let him take over. Maybe we could have avoided all of this."

"Don't think like that, Gandon," Zaerdra said, her voice a bit softer. "He wanted this gang war, one way or another. If you'd stepped down, he'd just have led the Beks against the Vulkars! He was always power-hungry, that's why you didn't want to give him control."

Gandon sighed sadly. "I know you're right, Zaerdra. I just hate to admit it. I did my best to teach him and that he was plotting behind my back all the time…it's a hard betrayal."

"It's always hard when it's a friend," Carth said with a bitterness in his voice. "It makes it harder to see the obvious clues." Once again, Faith made a note to ask him about why this sounded so personal to him.

Buffy noticed it too but had more pressing questions. "Any word on the escape pods?"

Gandon shook his head. "Sorry, but they were already picked clean by the Vulkars before we could get there. I also heard they captured a Republic officer."

That got the group's attention. "Bastila," Buffy whispered. "Where'd they take her? To the Sith?"

"No, she's too valuable for that," Gandon answered. "A Republic officer is a major catch so I'm sure Brejik is figuring out a good deal for her."

"They still think she's just an officer," Carth whispered to Buffy. "That could work to our advantage."

"If I know Bastila, she'll figure a way out herself."

"I doubt it," Gandon said. "Brejik wants her as a prize. He won't trust her around his men. He'll have her kept under wraps until the race."

"Race?" Vance asked.

Gandon nodded grimly. "I'm afraid your friend has become a pawn in Brejik's scheme to take over the Lower City gangs. He's offered up your friend as the Vulkar's share prize in the big Swoop Race. By offering such a big prize, he's hoping to gather more of the smaller gangs to his banner and use their numbers to wipe us out."

"So how do we go about rescuing her?" Buffy demanded.

Gandon rubbed his chin. "Well, the best way would probably be to win the big race."

Carth's eyes shot wide open. "Are you kidding me?"

"It's the best method," Gandon said. "And, I can help you out with it. Provided, of course, you do a favor for me."

"What sort of favor?" Faith asked with suspicion.

"We got a prototype swoop accelerator designed. It's guaranteed to be faster than anything the Vulkars can put out there. Which is why they stole it from us and are planning to use it themselves. If you can break into their base and get it back, we'll sponsor you as our racer. Win the race, you get your friend without having to fight off the entire Vulkar gang."

"I assume we can't just stroll in the front door," Vance noted.

"No, you'll have to go through a side entrance," Gandon said. "There are some ways through the sewer system in the Undercity. Mission can help you with that."

"Mission?" Zaerdra erupted. "Gandon, you can't be serious! She's just a kid!"

"She's also explored more of the Undercity than anyone else," Gandon argued. "She knows every back alley, crawlspace and hidden corner. If anyone can get you in, it's her."

"We met her earlier," Faith stated. "I think she said she was heading to the Undercity."

"In that case," Gandon said as he opened a drawer on his table. "These might help. We ambushed a Sith patrol a while back and got some authorization papers. They'll get you through the elevator up here and down to the Undercity."

Buffy accepted the papers. "Thanks."

"You watch yourself down there," Gandon warned. "The creatures there are more nasty than you can imagine. And there might be Sith patrols as well."

"I can handle nasty," Buffy stated.

"Yeah, you should have seen this one guy she dated-----"

"Faith!"

Vance nodded at Gandon. "Thanks for the help. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Make sure it's just you," Zaerdra stated, her eyes narrowed. "Or else."

Her glare still remained on them as they exited. Vance glanced at Buffy with a frown. "Guy you dated? I thought Jedi didn't have attachments."

"I wasn't a Jedi then," Buffy easily answered. "And no, we're forbidden attachments. Emotions, strong ones especially, can be dangerous and lead to the Dark Side."

Faith raised an eyebrow. "Damn, B. When did you become a drone for lessons?"

Buffy glared at her but Carth interjected. "Okay, what's this 'B' thing? What is your real name? I know it's not Elaine."

Buffy sighed. "Buffy Summers." Carth and Vance exchanged a surprised look. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I've heard them all," Buffy spat.

"So, why a different name?" Carth asked, the suspicion clear in his voice.

"It's a long story."

"I want to hear it," Carth said.

Buffy glared at him. "Why do you care?"

"Because I don't like secrets," Carth said. "Secrets indicate lack of trust and I've already told you I don't trust people. I'm not made that way, not anymore."

"Why?"

Carth looked away and Faith rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother, this Bastila is soooo dead."


	4. Chapter 4

Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

The smell that assailed them as they exited the elevator was even worse than above. Also worse was the lighting. The Undercity seemed to be covered in darkness from above, the only lights dim and coming from the fires that raged around the small encampment just outside the elevators. There were tents constructed of everything from trash to starship parts and some artificial lamps had been put together as well. Surprisingly, there was a lack of actual trash on the ground, which put it a level above the Lower City. However, the group suspected the reason for that was that the people here couldn't spare anything to throw away.

The first thing they saw once their eyes adjusted were a pair of men in dirty and tattered rags glaring at them. "You there, up-worlder!" one cried out. "This is our elevator! You want to use it, you pay the toll! Five credits!"

Carth threw up his hands. "I don't believe this planet! Even the beggars are trying to shake us down!"

"Who are you?" Buffy said, trying to keep her disdain hidden.

"We are the Outcasts," the other man said. Banished here by those who live above. Forced to scrounge for scraps and beg for what we can in order to survive in this terrible place."

Having lived on the streets on two different worlds, Faith couldn't help but feel some sympathy for these wretches. She reached into her pocket and held out ten credits. "Here."

One man instantly grabbed them and squealed. "Credits! We have credits, brother!"

"Hush!" his companion hissed. "Not so loud! Someone may try to take them from us!"

"Hey, you two! Get out of here, don't bother those people!" A tall black man with a dark beard came up to the group. Despite the rags, he carried himself with a dignified manner and was obviously a man of authority. The two beggars scampered off, muttering to each other about their newfound fortune. The man sighed and shook his head to the group. "I apologize. We're not all like that down here. Most of us are good people."

"I'm sure you are," Carth diplomatically said. "Too bad your welcoming committee has to give people the wrong impression."

The man nodded. "Yes, they do give us a bad name. I apologize. I'm Gendar, the leader of the Undercity residents, as my father was before me and his father as well."

"Your family has been down here that long?" Vance asked in surprise.

Gendar's face became drawn. "Taris' laws are clear. Once exiled, you cannot return and that shame is passed down to your children. I do wish it was different. I can understand why Rukil still clings to his stories."

"Rukil?"

"The oldest man in the village, over a century but still spry. The children call him Rukil Wrinkle-Skin but he's a good man. I do think it's a bit much for him to keep going on about the Promised Land. But it's a story that makes the children happy so I suppose there's no harm."

Before Vance could ask about the 'Promised Land,' Carth cut in. "We're looking for some escape pods that might have crashed down here."

Gendar made a knowing smile. "I thought as much. You're not the first up-worlders to come down here in search of those pods. Gang members, men in armor…we rarely get people from above down here in these dark and sunless lands."

"I can't imagine why," Vance muttered under his breath, earning him an elbow in the side from Buffy.

"We're also looking for a Twi'lek, Mission Vao," Carth continued.

"Ah, yes," Gendar nodded. "She passed by here not long ago with her friend, that Wookie. Brave girl, she goes where few of us dare into rakghoul territory."

"So they do exist?"

"Yes. It's one of the reasons we gather behind this gated section, for protection. As well as the fact that we can share resources and band together. It's a hard life but we do our best."

"These rakghouls," Buffy began. "How bad are they?"

Gendar's face darkened. "A blight. A bite from them unleashes their venom and it's only a matter of time before the victims mutate into rakghouls themselves. The hardest part of being leader…is being forced to send people out through the gates before they can transform." He sobered as he looked to them. "If you go out, be prepared. I wish you all luck." He nodded to them before walking away.

The group walked through the camp, noting how the people had done their best to gather around heating vents and water pipes, everything they could to improve themselves. They were walking by one tent when a rasped voice croaked out. "You."

They stopped and turned to see an elderly man rising to his feet. His face was deeply marked with wrinkles, his body hunched with age but his eyes still twinkled with fierce fire as they focused on Buffy. "Yes…you are the one I have waited for. Is it the time of destiny then? Or…or another false hope? Is it a portent of salvation of my people? Or merely another false sign to mislead us from the true path? Are you the herald of prophecy? The beacon to guide us through the darkness? Or are you merely another harbinger of shattered dreams and unfulfilled promises?"

"Is this guy merely senile? Or totally cracked?" Vance whispered to Faith.

"Careful," Carth whispered back at them. "He may be just crazy enough to be dangerous."

"Who are you?" Buffy asked, although she already suspected.

"I am Rukil. Rukil the Elder. Rukil the Mad. Rukil Wrinkle-Skin. What fate brought you to us?"

"Fate?"

The old man frowned. "You seem uncertain…perplexed…and so much has been hidden from you. Ah, but I become confused myself sometimes, after a hundred years of life. Nonetheless…I believe you are the ones I have waited for."

"Maybe you have us confused with someone else," Vance said, obviously baffled by the old man's behavior.

"I do not believe so, young Vance," Rukil said. "No…no, I recognize the mantle of destiny before you. Perhaps I know you better than you know yourself." He gazed at Buffy with that, which made the young Jedi nervous.

"Um, listen, buddy," Faith stated carefully. "No offense but maybe we should just go and…"

"You are to find the Promised Land."

"The what?"

Rukil leaned against his tent. "Long ago, when I was a child, the great city of Taris covered the entire globe. There is no land to grow crops. We relied on harvests from the sea but the oceans became poisoned. Famine and civil war swept the planet as the rich hoarded the food and let the poor starve."

"Doesn't look like much has changed," Faith muttered.

Rukil didn't seem to hear her. "In the Great War, the poor finally rose up to fight for their rights. Entire sections of the city were wiped out and had to be rebuilt and millions perished. In the end, the Rebellion was crushed and the jails overflowed with prisoners. So the rulers of above decided that the survivors and their families were to be exiled below. And thus the Undercity was born."

"Then what's this Promised Land?" Buffy asked.

"A base the Rebels had…hidden somewhere underground…a self-sufficient colony where robot servants could attend to our needs, where we could grow our own food and live in much better comfort than now."

Carth was dubious. "Sounds to me like a con, a story made up to give false hope to the people down here to keep from going mad."

"Or," Vance inserted. "To stop them from rising up against the Uppers again."

Rukil shook his head. "My father and his father before him, spent many years gathering clues indicating the Undercity was no myth. I followed their teachings as best I could, even after both had vanished. I believe they have journals with them, journals that contain the clues needed to find the Undercity. Up-worlders, I ask you, I beg you. Please find the journals. Bring them here so we may escape this horrific life!"

Buffy pursed her lips. "I…I can't promise anything."

Rukil smiled. "You will do your best, Jedi. You always do, I suspect." He backed into his tent. "I bid you farewell for now." He sat and turned away as the group exchanged baffled expressions.

"Okay, that was weird," Vance remarked. "So, what, we're supposed to go on some crazy treasure hunt for a mythical land?" He shook his head. "Maybe I should have charged double for this job."

Faith rubbed her chin. "I don't know…I think that guy may be onto something."

Carth snorted. "Please, he's just a crazy old man. What makes you think he could know anything?"

Faith glanced at him. "You recall introducing ourselves?"

Carth frowned. "No."

"Then how come he knew B was a Jedi? Or for that matter, how'd he know Vance's name?"

Carth couldn't up with an answer to that as the group made their way to the large gate at the end of the camp. As they came up, they saw a pretty young woman pleading hysterically to the man standing by the gate. "You have to open it!"

"It's too early!" the man snapped.

"He'll make it! I know he will!" The woman leaned on the gate, calling out. "Run, Hendar, run!"

On the other side of the gate, a man was running hard, lugging a small bag with him. Behind him was a creature that reminded the two Slayers of some of the lower-rung demons they used to battle. It was on all fours, running hard, its gray skin seeming to glow slightly. It was the size of two men, its head large and mouth rimmed with sharp teeth, the claws on its hands glistening as well.

"Open the gate!" the man yelled as he came up.

"Open it!" the woman echoed.

The guard hesitated and shook his head. "It's too close!"

The woman grabbed his shirt and shook him. "If you don't open it, it'll kill him!"

"And if it gets in here, Hester, it'll kill us all!"

"No! You can't let this happen!" the woman cried, tears in her eyes.

"Ah, for…" Buffy marched forward and slammed the button to open the gate. Before the two Undercity residents could react, she had her lightsaber up and swinging. She was a bit surprised when her first blow only seemed to slow the creature down. Its hide was much tougher than she had anticipated. Luckily, Vance was there, bringing his own sword to slice over the beast's back. Buffy slammed her saber into its chest to finally bring it down.

The Outcasts stared in amazement at the sight. "You'd risk your life for a stranger's?" the guard asked. "I did not think there were up-worlders who felt as you do."

"Thank you," Hendar breathed. "If I had anything but the rags on my back, I'd reward you."

"You'll always have me, dear husband," Hester said as she embraced him. The two headed back into the village as Carth and Faith joined with Buffy and Vance.

"Ah, always good to have a happy turn-out," Buffy remarked as she put her saber away.

The guard nodded to them. "You'd best have your weapons out if you're going in. There are more of these monsters out there…and some of them don't give you as much warning." He backed up and slid the gates shut with an ominous clanking sound.

The true horrors of the Undercity were clear as the four walked along. There was little trash as most things had been stripped away but it was clear that there were none of the signs of maintaining the environment as there had been with the Outcast village.

They had only gone a little ways when they heard a voice calling out to them. "Help! You have to help!" From the darkness, a small but familiar form came running toward them. "Nobody else is going to help him! Even the Beks won't help him! But I can't just leave him there, he's my friend! You have to help him!"

"Whoa, whoa, Mission, hold up!" Faith yelled, holding up her hands to slow the Twi'lek down, literally. "What's going on?"

Mission took a deep breath. "It's Zaalbar…they took him! We were exploring, poking around, looking for adventure like usual. But then these ugly Gammoreans went after us! Big Z tore at them, told me to run. I…I thought he was right behind me but…there were too many of them! They're going to sell him to a slaver, I know it! You have to help us."

"Okay, okay, we'll help," Faith said.

"Hold on," Vance broke in. "What about a way into the Vulkar base?"

"I'll do whatever you ask, just help me get Big Z back!" Mission cried out.

"All right, we're in," Faith stated.

Mission grinned. "Oh, thank you so much!" She gave Faith a quick hug and backed up. "They brought him into the sewers. I guess the smell reminds them of home. That's also where I can show you a way into the Vulkar base."

"Lead the way."

They spent a few minutes wandering the Undercity, Vance pausing to examine a dead body. "Hmmm…interesting," he muttered as he lifted up a datapad. "This mentions something about the Promised Land."

"You're kidding," Carth said. "That thing's for real?"

"It looks like," Vance confirmed. "Hmm…looks like this only has pieces of it however. It's like a map but it's incomplete without some other parts."

"We'll keep an eye out," Buffy said. "How far to the sewers?"

"This way," Mission said as she led them over. As they walked, she glanced to Carth. "So, you're with the Republic, huh? You've been all over the galaxy I bet, right? So tell me, how would you rate Taris compared to other worlds you've seen?"

Carth hesitated for a moment before answering. "I'll be honest Mission, Taris would rate pretty low. The prejudice, the rich spoiling themselves while the poor are crushed beneath them – not a pretty picture."

"Yeah, but that's only since the Sith occupation." Mission claimed. "Before that…" She paused and wrinkled her brow. "Well, I guess it wasn't all that different, really. Hmm… maybe Taris ain´t as great as I thought, you know?"

"Trust me, Mission," Carth stated. "There are a lot of worlds better than Taris. There are worse, too. But Taris is no place for a kid to live on her own – even a kid who´s got a Wookiee to look out for her."

It was obvious to everyone else that he hit a nerve with that one. "Hey, I ain´t no kid!" Mission snapped. "And I look out for Zaalbar as much as he looks out for me. Big Z´s my friend, not my babysitter! Geez, I come ask you a question and I give you a lecture!"

"Don´t you snap at me, missy!" Carth snapped right back. "You want a lecture? How's this: only bratty little children fly off the handle because of a simple comment!"

"I don't need this, Carth! You ain't my father! Although you're sure old enough to be! I don't need this!"

"I don't either!" the soldier fired back. "I've got better things to do than-----" The rest of his tirade was cut off as a rakghoul charged out of the shadows and tackled him down. Carth yelled in pain as the creature bit down, tearing through his armor and into flesh. Faith moved at blinding speed, her rage pushing her on as she kicked the creature off Carth. Buffy moved to his side to check his wound as Faith pulled out her sword and jammed it into the creature's head. Despite having several inches of metal piercing its single eye, the ghoul still managed to thrash about for several moments before Vance sliced his blade across its neck.

Buffy was channeling the Force as she held her hands over Carth's wound. "Ah, damn…not good…not good…"

"It's in me, right?" Carth rasped. "The venom…Oh, damn…I'm gonna become…one of those things…"

"Shut up," Buffy snapped. "We'll figure out something. Maybe my healing can slow it down…."

"But not cure it, right?" Carth said. He closed his eyes and took a breath. "Dammit…you should kill me first…before I change…you should…"

"We're not doing that," Vance said as he wiped off his sword. "There's gotta be something we can do!"

"Um, actually," Mission said as she rummaged through her pockets. "I think this may help." She held up a set of vials that were filled with green liquid.

Buffy peered. "Are those what I think they are?"

"Rakghoul serum," Mission said. "I got it off the body of a Sith who got canceled a bit back. I was gonna bring it over to the village when Z and I got jumped."

Buffy took the vials and examined them, then handed them to Faith. "Okay, Faith, get Carth up top to that medical facility. Forn will be able to figure out how to use these."

"You got it," Faith said as she helped Carth up. "Come on, flyboy."

Carth winced as he rubbed his shoulder. "Are you sure…this will work?"

"One way to find out," Buffy said as she nodded to Faith. "Me and Vance will help Mission and get this accelerator back."

"Good luck, B," Faith stated as she helped Carth away.

Vance looked to Buffy and raised an eyebrow. "So just you and me, huh?"

Buffy gave him a flat look. "One word to whatever it is you're thinking: Jedi."

Vance had a flat smile of his own. "Oh, you'd be surprised how much I know about the Jedi, Buffy."

"Um, hate to interrupt, but can we get going?" Mission impatiently asked. "We've got a lot of sewer and a lot of Gammoreans to go through."

Buffy resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she once more wondered why nothing in her life was ever easy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Forn looked up as he saw Faith and Carth enter the shop. "Hello again. What can I…" He broke off as he saw Carth favoring his back and moved to help him sit on a table. He looked at the wound and paled. "Damn…rakghoul bite." He shook his head and backed up. "I'm sorry…there's nothing I can do. In fact, you'd better get him back down to the Undercity. If he transforms up here…"

"I've got something that can help," Faith said as she lifted up the vials.

Forn's eyes widened as he took them. "This…this can't be…the rakghoul serum! How did-----" He shook his head. "No, no I don't want to know. I think…yes, I can have an antidote for this created soon!"

"How soon?" Faith asked. "I mean, I gave him a shot before we came up but I don't know how well it'll work."

"Don't worry," Forn smiled. "I've been studying it long enough that I only need less than an hour to get it together. In fact, I could create enough for almost everyone in the Undercity!"

"Get hopping then," Faith said and Forn quickly moved to his lab. Faith turned to face Carth, smiling. "There ya go. You'll be right as rain in no time."

Carth just nodded and Faith's smile faded. "Okay, what's your problem? I'm saving your life and I think a little gratitude is called for!"

Carth glared up at her. "Let's get this straight, Faith. We may be working together, but that doesn't mean you get to interrogate me!"

"Why are you getting so upset?"

"Blast it! You've got to be the most frustrating woman to talk to! Go bother someone else for a while."

She nodded and turned away. "If that's what you want…"

"No, damn it! Don't...don't go, Faith." Carth sighed heavily. "I keep seeming to shove my foot in my mouth when it comes to you."

"Got that right," Faith remarked. "Listen, Carth, I may be accused of having a chip on my shoulder a lot but I really don't want to argue with you."

"And I don't want to be arguing with you, either." He looked out the window into something only he could see. "You're sincere enough...I guess..."

"Well, gee, thanks a bunch."

"I'm sorry," Carth said, looking back at her. "I know it's not your fault, it's just…I think of all the people I've put trust into and how many of them ended up betraying me…"

"Like Revan and Malak?"

The man nodded. "Five years ago, Revan and Malak were heroes. The Mandalorians were on the run...I was proud to serve in their fleet."

"And they became Sith."

"It was completely unexpected when they turned on us, invading while we were still weak from those pirates. No one knew what to think, least of all me. They were our heroes - in every sense. If you can't trust the best of the Jedi - well, who can you?"

He huffed. "But that's not the hard part. You want hard? I never knew Revan or Malak, not personally. But there were others: good, solid men who joined their cause and betrayed the Republic." His voice became bitter, and he was struggling not to yell. "Malak, Revan, the Sith...they deserve to die...all of them. The traitors deserve worse. They deserve no mercy - none."

Faith was taken aback. "Whoa. You say that with such...such hatred."

Carth seemed to think for a moment before making a decision. "I know you'll pry it from me sooner or later. Here it goes..." He looked up. "When I think about traitors, I see a face...I have a name. The traitor that sticks out among them was the man I respected the most - Saul Karath."

Faith raised her eyebrows. "Sorry, not up on Republic directory. Who's he?"

"That son-of-a-Hutt is commanding Malak's fleet - the highest-ranking Republic admiral to go over to the Sith. He's half the reason Malak's done so well at this war." Carth's face was tight, as was his voice, tight with barely restrained rage. "He was my commanding officer, my mentor...my...my friend. Taught me everything about being a soldier, and I looked up to him."

"And he turned," Faith realized. "He defected to the other side, I get it."

"No. You don't." Carth took a deep breath, trying to rein himself in. "Before he left, Saul approached me. He told me the Republic was on the losing side, how I should start thinking of my survival. I know now that he was trying to recruit me into the Sith, but back then...well, I just couldn't conceive of it. Saul led the Republic to so many victories against the Mandalorians - even when things looked the worst."

"You couldn't see him turning traitor." It wasn't a question.

"I argued with him. He left. I never saw him again. Not only did that bastard turn to the Sith, he gave them the codes to bypass our scanners. I woke up to Saul's fleet bombing Telos...seeing our ships on the ground wiped out before my eyes. I knew right away what happened." He closed his eyes. "I could have stopped it, Faith. I could have stopped it all."

"You can't know that," Faith tried to reassure him.

"I…I don't know. I might have killed him, or he might have killed me. I've followed his trail since it happened, hoping for the chance...I catch up to him, and he is going to regret what he's done."

Faith blew a strand of hair from her face. "Okay. So your buddy sold you and the Republic out. I get that. You hated him for it, all right. But you just said there were lots of guys who did the same thing. Just what got this Saul up your ass?"

"You wanna know why?" Carth yelled as he shot to his feet and got in Faith's face. "To prove his loyalty…as a….a test…Revan and Malak had Saul bomb Telos. He took out the bases and then he moved into the civilian population! People who had nothing to do with the war, blasted to pieces without even realizing what was happening!"

"Carth, take it-------"

"Telos was my home."

Faith's mouth opened in shock as Carth went on. "We barely got any defense at all…it was lucky that any soldiers got out. I raced to my home as best as I good, yelling for my wife and son. I saw the city I grew up in going up in flames, saw the bodies of people I'd known since childhood spread all around. My son, Dustil…I never found him, I don't know if he's alive or dead but I'm pretty sure it's the latter. My wife…I found her lying in the ruins of our house…I held her tight, telling her it would be all right…I was holding her when she…" He fell back on the bed, spent, tears running down his face.

Faith slowly worked her jaw up and down as she tried to gather herself. "Carth…Carth, I…I'm….I'm sorry. I'm sorry for saying…Oh, God…"

Carth wiped at his face. "It's…it's ok. I guess I've been holding all that in for too long. It's better to just…get it out now." He took a deep breath to try and steel himself, letting his soldier persona drop back down. "One thing that's kept me going…maybe the only thing…is knowing that someday I'll find Saul. And when I do…I'll kill him."

Faith bit her lip. "There's an old saying where I'm from. Before you go on a trip of revenge, dig yourself two graves."

Carth glared at her. "I don't care how you feel about it. I will kill him. Maybe then…maybe then, I can finally be at peace with myself." He looked away from her. "You couldn't understand."

Faith just stared at him before softly replying. "You'd be surprised, Carth."

The hum of Forn's lab was the only sound in the facility for a long time.


	5. Chapter 5

Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

**Author's note: As some KOTOR fans will no doubt notice, this is not a literal translation of the game due mostly to space constraints. I've also taken into account how some parts of the quests and events work better in the context of a video game than in the story and have been doing my best to "streamline" it so the tale flows better. For Buffy fans, the Undercity segment is one of the longest parts of the game so thanks for being patient with it so far. As usual, all comments welcomed. **

Gammoreans, Buffy quickly realized, were among the most disgusting creatures she'd ever encountered.

Each one was built like a sumo wrestler with green skin and pig-like mouths. One good thing was that, despite all their great strength, they lacked anything closely resembling smarts, which gave the new arrivals a definite advantage.

Buffy ducked the swing of one Gammorean and rose up to slice his chest with her lightsaber. Vance was near her, using his dual blades quite well to cut down another Gammorean. The sound of blasters ripped through the tight space as Mission fired at two others. It was obvious she was a crack shot, whether by practice or instinct, as both her targets went down.

They had been making their way through the sewers for the last half hour. Buffy had to admit, it was ironic that the sewers were probably the best-maintained part of the Undercity. Sure, there was that oppressive smell but not a lot of trash around. It was surprisingly well lit, perhaps to help the workers. Or, she suspected, to help the Vulkars get around to their base. There also weren't as many rakghouls, no doubt due to the Gammorean's work.

Vance pulled his blade out of one green-skinned body and wiped his brow. "How much further? I'm starting to get annoyed by these things."

"We should be getting close," Mission said as she pocketed her blasters.

Buffy furrowed her brow and reached out, her eyes fixing on a blast door nearby. "There." She led the way to it, pressing on the lock.

"Here," Vance said as he moved forward. "I can reprogram------"

Buffy jammed her lightsaber into the lock, causing it to spark and the doors to slide open. Vance raised his eyebrows at her. "Thought you Jedi weren't supposed to go so extreme."

"I'm…not your typical Jedi," Buffy said as she entered the room, the other two behind her. There was a Gammorean standing guard who turned as the trio entered. He hefted his axe and moved in but Buffy threw out her arm and a Force wave sent him flying back against the wall hard. He fell in a limp pile, letting out a groan before going still.

Inside a small cell, Zaalbar's eyes widened. "_You're a sight for sore eyes, Mission!"_ he growled.

"You didn't think I was gonna forget you, did you?" the Twi'lek said as Vance quickly opened the cell door. She moved in and embraced the Wookie, who did his best to return the hug without crushing her. "Mission and Big Z-----friends forever!"

Zaalbar turned to face Buffy and Vance. "_You…you have risked your lives to save mine. I did not think there humans capable of this. There is only one way I can repay this favor. I swear a lifedebt to you."_

Mission's eyes went wide. "A lifedebt, Z? Are you sure about this?"

_I'm sure, Mission. This is an issue of deep importance to me. Because of our great strength, Wookiees are being used as slaves on our own home world, or sent off-world as curiosities and beasts. Over the years, slavers have taken many of my people - our villages under constant siege."_

"Life-debt?" Buffy asked. "What is that?"

"The most solemn vow a Wookie can make," Vance told her. "When a Wookie makes it, it means he sticks to that person for the rest of their lives, no matter what."

"_In the presence of all of you, I swear my life-debt. Forever after, I will be at your side. May this vow be as strong as the great wroshyr trees of Kashyyyk."_

"Well, looks like you've got both of us then," Mission stated. "Where Big Z goes, I go."

Vance rolled his eyes. "Great. Just what I wanted."

"Oh, be quiet," Buffy snapped at him. She looked to Mission. "Okay, we did our part. Now where's the Vulkar base?"

"This way," Mission said as she led them out into a side hallway. "There's a security gate at the end of this but I filched the codes off a Vulkar who had too much to drink."

"That'll save us time," Buffy said as she followed the Twi'lek. Mission led them to a small computer that stood by a shimmering force field. She quickly entered code and the field shut off. The quartet moved down the hallway, Zaalbar lumbering in the rear.

"Hey, Big Z, we've got to do something about your breath," Mission stated. "I didn't want to say anything, but it's bad. Worse than usual, which is hard to believe. What did they feed you, buddy?"

"_They didn't."_ Zaalbar flatly admitted. _"I wasn't their guest, Mission. I was a prisoner. I don't think they cared much what happened to me."_

"Oh, Zaalbar, that's terrible! I know how grouchy you get if you don't get your eight square meals a day. I´m amazed you didn't pass out from hunger." Mission noted.

"_I did manage to take a chunk out of the arm of a guard that wandered too close to my cage." _Zaalbar noted, grinning slightly. _"But it tasted awful, so I spit it out."_

"Ewww!" Mission said, wrinkling her nose. "No wonder your breath is so bad, Big Z! Gammoreans smell like bantha poo-doo!" Buffy and Vance couldn't help but laugh when Mission mimed gagging and vomiting. "We'll have to pick you up a toothbrush to clean that stench off your choppers."

The Wookie's eyes went wide. _"Wookiees do not brush their teeth, Mission! It… it just isn't done! What humiliation will you use on me next? A comb?" _Zaalbar asked, obviously horror-struck.

"Okay, relax. No toothbrush. Sheesh." Mission made calming motions with her hands. "Just try to eat something else to cover up that smell, okay? Stay away from anything that's smart enough to lock you in a cage this time." Mission suggested.

Zaalbar sighed, but nodded. _"I'll take care of it as soon as I can, Mission. For now, let´s stay focused on the task at hand."_

The group was headed to a large blast door and had almost reached it when a massive roar filled the hallway. They all froze, thrown by the savage sound. "What the hell…?" Buffy asked.

Mission swallowed. "Oh, boy. I was hoping it was just a story…"

"What?" Vance whirled, his eyes peered. "What is just a story?"

Mission rubbed her face. "Um, well, it seems that as an extra security precaution, the Vulkars got something to guard the back entrance."

"What?"

"A rancor."

Vance and Buffy exchanged a shocked look. "Yep," Mission confirmed. "Don't ask me how it got on Taris, I have no idea. But, it looks like it may be behind there."

"And that's the only way in?" Buffy asked.

"Unless you want to go in the front."

Buffy bit her lip as she moved to the door. Her foot hit something and she looked down to see a severed arm clutching a datapad and a small vial. "Oh, great. It's a messy eater."

Vance reached down to take the pad and skim through it. "Interesting…" he muttered.

Buffy was more interested in the vial, lifting it up and taking a whiff. She gasped at the rancid smell but then smiled. "Well, well. I think this may be a help."

She moved to the door and hit the lock to open it. The four carefully peered in to see a large open chamber. In one corner was a larder filled with the remains of various creatures from rakghouls to Gammoreans to humans. Most of the bones had been picked clean of all flesh. At the other end of the chamber, shuffling near a doorway was the rancor. It was a huge beast, hunched over with skin as hard as steel. Its hands were bigger than two Wookies and the claws on it were sharp enough to slice through a starfighter. It was turned away but they were all aware of its giant maw with razor-sharp teeth.

"Oh my damn," Buffy whispered. She swallowed and turned to Vance. "Any grenades?"

"Just one," he said. "Had to use the other on those rakghoul by the sewer entrance."

Buffy bit her lip and looked at the vial. "Hmm…Give it to me. I got an idea."

Vance handed it over and with a deep breath, Buffy raced into the chamber. She did her best to use her powers to hide her presence as she made her way to the larder. She uncorked the vial and let the smell carry through the chamber. She could see the rancor smell it, the scent of fresh meat. Buffy had no idea why the late owner of the datapad was carrying around synthized odor but wasn't going to argue with her good fortune.

As the rancor began to move, Buffy quickly poured the serum over the grenade. She waited two seconds before activating the device and then took off in a dash back to the door. The rancor did not notice her, partly because of her Force masking and partly because it was fixated on the scent. It rummaged through the larder to find the grenade. Its puny mind couldn't comprehend what it was, the scent of food overwhelming and thus the rancor threw it down its throat. It was stepping back when the grenade detonated inside. It let out a loud roar of agony as light seemed to erupt from his mouth. Amazingly, its outer skin was still intact as it stumbled and then collapsed to the ground.

Buffy let out a breath as she moved into the chamber. "I'll be damned. It worked."

"Wow!" Mission said. "That was amazing!"

"Impressive," Vance admitted as they moved around the rancor's corpse. "Looks like the way is clear."

Mission nodded as she led them to the large doorway at the rear of the chamber. "Be sharp. This place is probably gonna be teeming with Vulkars."

"Maybe you should stay out here then," Buffy said with concern.

Mission glowered. "Hey! No way are you sticking me on the sidelines here! I got you this far, I'm going all the way!"

Vance smiled, starting to like this kid. "An extra pair of blasters can help," he pointed out to Buffy.

The blonde-haired woman sighed. "Fine, fine. But stay behind me." She marched to the doors and the hallway leading to an elevator. A quick ride up and the group were inside the Vulkar base.

As she suspected, Buffy could tell the place was, in essence, an intergalactic chop shop. They made their way down hallways and past a few doors, trying to keep quiet. They came to one door and Buffy opened it. Inside was a green-skinned Twi'lek and a human woman in clothes barely better than the Outcasts. Both reacted in shock to the intruders, the Twi'lek moving to an alarm. Buffy threw out her arm to stop him in place. "Quiet," she hissed with a bit of Force persuasion.

"Please," the woman whimpered. "I'm not a Vulkar! I…my father owed a debt and couldn't pay so they…they killed him and used me as a servant."

Zaalbar snarled as he moved to the Twi'lek. _"I despise slavers!"_

The man shook his head, his tentacles bouncing. "No! No! I'm not one of them! I'm a true Vulkar!"

"What does that mean?" Buffy demanded.

"I…I was a member back when being a Vulkar meant something," the man continued. "Three years ago, Brejik defected to us and we thought we had gained a significant advantage against our rivals. Within a year, he assassinated our leader, Karo, and consolidated power. His cronies and sycophants moved up and now I am here, a lowly guard."

"I take it you're not a fan of Brejik?"

The Twi'lek sniffed. "A gang war? Consolidating power? Attacking civilians? We were never meant to be a gang of thugs doing Davik's dirty work. If you're here to cause trouble for Brejik…well, go on and do it."

"You know where we can find the stolen swoop accelerator?" Vance demanded.

"That? Yes, Kandon has that with him. His office is on the upper garage level but he'll have some guards around him."

"We'll get around that," Buffy said. "Now, how about the prisoner you seized from the Republic escape pods?"

"Her?" the Twi'lek seemed surprised they were interested. "Yes, we had her but she's not here. Brejik doesn't trust the men with such an important prize and he's got her at a secret location. Only he knows where that is. He won't show her off until the time of the big race."

Buffy made a decision. "The Rancor's been dealt with by the side entrance. You two can get out through there to the Undercity."

"You…you're letting us go free?" the woman said, hope in her voice.

"See Gandon when you get to the Lower City," Buffy continued. "I think he'll be able to help you out."

"Thank you…thank you, human," the Twi'lek said as he rummaged through his coat. "Here. Consider this payment for your good nature." He handed Buffy a small datacard. "The passcodes to get past the security doors and turn off the turrets by the main garage."

"Thanks," Buffy said. "Good luck."

The woman paused only to give her a quick hug and then one for Vance. Then she and the Twi'lek raced out toward the elevator. _"I am surprised,"_ Zaalbar stated. _"I have not seen many humans with such a streak of kindness within them. Most would have asked for money or simply killed them to keep an alarm down."_

"You can't judge us all by a few bad apples," Buffy said.

Vance frowned at her. "What's an apple?"

Buffy brushed past him as they headed into the base. It seemed to be mostly empty and the few guards around were soon distracted thanks to a little Force persuasion. They found the security console and used the datacard to open the doors to another elevator.

A quick ride up and they found themselves in a huge garage, swoop bikes spread out all around, some hanging from the large ceiling. The group carefully stole across it and down another hallway before coming to a large door by an office. With a quick look at each other, Buffy and Vance moved in to slide the doors open.

Inside were a batch of Vulkars surrounding a green-skinned Twi'lek male with a yellow female bodyguard. All of them instantly drew weapons at the intruders. "Well, well," the Twi'lek, who Buffy guessed was Kandon, said. "I don't recall sending out an invitation."

"Shall I kill them, Kandon?" the woman eagerly asked.

"Not yet," Kandon stated as he calmly studied the arrivals. "You're not wearing Bek colors. Let me guess, a lackey conned by Gandon to steal back his precious accelerator? Well, I didn't go to the trouble of taking that prototype just to let that old fool get it back!"

"Let's make this easy," Buffy said, stepping forward. "Just hand it over, we leave and no one gets hurt."

Kandon chuckled. "Now, now, let's not get hasty here. You know, I think we Vulkars could use someone like you. Gandon is old news! He's blind, in more ways than one. Brejik is a visionary. Don't shackle yourself to a losing team."

Buffy snorted. "Please. You're talking to an Indians fan." Seeing the blank looks on the faces of everyone, she moved on. "Forget it, Kandon. I gave my word to Gandon and I intend to keep it."

The Twi'lek sighed. "Very well, then." He nodded to the woman and the other men nearby. "Kill them."

Buffy ignited her lightsaber and held it up, deflecting the first set of blaster bolts fired at her. Vance was already moving in to slice down one of the Vulkars. Zaalbar pushed Mission down as the other men fired and brought the bowcaster the others had recovered from his captors. The ancient Wookie weapon fired off its blasts in quick succession to nail another Vulkar.

Buffy sidestepped the dagger thrust the female Twi'lek attempted on her. She backed up as she made another wide arc and slashed Buffy's arm. The Jedi hissed and on instinct swung her saber out, slicing through the woman's chest. She turned in time to see Kandon kick Vance back hard. The man rolled around and looked up as Kandon moved in, his blade raised up. Vance held a hand out as if to ward it off. Buffy hefted her saber to leap forward but before she could, there was a shower of sparks and a large light fixture separated from above. Kandon had just enough time to look up as the fixture smashed right into his head, sending him down.

"Wow, that was lucky," Mission stated.

"Yeah," Buffy said, peering with slight suspicion as she looked to Vance. "Real lucky."

The man was pulling himself up as he looked around the office. His eyes fell on a small round-shaped object on a desk and he lifted it up. "I think this is it."

"Smaller than I expected," Mission noted.

Buffy jerked her head to the door. "Come on, let's go before more show up." The rest were eager to follow. As they exited, Buffy kept her eyes on Vance, unable to shake the feeling that there was more to that rescue than met the eye.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took a while for the group to find their way back to the Undercity. There, they saw Faith and Carth waiting by the gates. "Hey!" Buffy called out. "You guys okay?"

Carth nodded. "It looks like the serum worked and I got patched up."

"Good," Vance said. "Come on, there's something I've gotta show Rukil." He led the way to the small tent where the old man sat. He stood slowly, the cracking of bones clear as he faced them. "You have returned," he croaked. "Welcome back, up-worlder. How goes your quest? Have you found the journals of my father and grandfather?"

"I believe I have," Vance said as he handed the journals over. "I think you'll find the information very interesting."

The old man's eyes lit up, "Can it be true? Is it possible that at long last the dream of my father and grandfather before him will be fulfilled? I... I can hardly bear to look." He took the journals in his trembling hands and began to read through them, "Hmmm... yes. Yes! Of course! Now I understand - it all makes sense! Now I see why the Promised Land has been so hard to find! It is so obvious!" Rukil finally raised his gaze from the journals, eyes shining. "You have done a great thing, up-worlder - a selfless act that will bring great joy to all the people of this village! I must take this to Gendar right away!" He quickly went to find him, the others quietly following.

As he saw the old man approach, Gendar sighed. "Rukil? What do you want now?" Have you more fables of a hidden paradise just waiting for us to find it?"

"You may not think these are fables after you see what I have brought you, Gendar! Look at these journals!" Rukil said, handing Gendar the journals, almost sounding smug.

Gendar's eyes widened when he read the information. "What... no. It can't be! Are these real, Rukil? Is this information accurate?" he asked, stunned.

"I swear to you everything in these journals is true, Gendar. The Promised Land - I told you I would find it!" Rukil said.

"The entrance is far from here, Rukil." Gendar noted, "It will take us weeks to get there... perhaps even months. And we will have to cross many rakghoul infested areas."

"I do not deny the journey will be hard, Gendar. But surely it is better than the miserable life we have here!" Rukil retorted.

"Wise words, Rukil." Gendar agreed, "Our supplies are high right now - we could leave by nightfall! I will tell the others to prepare for the journey."

"These might help," Faith said as she held up several vials. "Courtesy of Forn, the antidote to rakghoul venom."

Gendar's shock grew. "You….is this for certain?"

"We tested it on some of the infected you had locked up," Carth told him. "They were fine almost instantly. It will definitely help you on your journey."

"Thank you once again, up-worlder." Rukil said, beaming, "But we must part ways now. The Promised Land will be sealed behind us when we enter. I sense your destiny is yet to be decided, somewhere we cannot follow. The destiny of my people is at the end of the long journey ahead of us.''

"Good luck with it, Rukil," Buffy stated.

The old man gazed at her and made a small, sad smile. "And good luck to you as well." He paused and turned his gaze to Vance. "I hope that you two can gain strength from each other when the truth is found." With that, he turned and walked off.

Buffy just closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "God, I hate cryptic statements. I still hate them."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy took a long breath as they exited the elevator to the Lower City. "God, I didn't think I'd enjoy this smell."

"Yeah, it's refreshing, huh?" Mission said as the group made her way back to the Bek base. She bit her lip. "Ummm… hey, Carth? Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Are you ready to have a civil chat? Or is this going to be just another childish tantrum?" he asked. Mission's eyes narrowed in a dangerous manner.

"Tantrum! I´m trying to apologize here, you nerf-herder!" she stopped, realizing she was making a scene, "Uh… I mean… I´m sorry. I didn't mean to get mad at you. It's just that I´m sick of everyone treating me like I´m a helpless kid."

"Yeah, I know" Carth said in a softer tone. "And I´m sorry about what I said, too. I´m just a little on edge lately. Not surprising considering all we've been through. But I shouldn't take it out on you."

"It's about time you two made up," Faith noted.

"Mission, you have to know that we don't think you're helpless." Carth explained slowly. "Look where we are, look at what we're doing. You're not just along for the ride. We need you."

Mission smiled faintly. "You really mean it, don't you? Nobody's ever said anything like that to me before, not even Big Z. He might think it, but he's not really one for words, you know. Thanks, Carth."

He waved that off. "Ah, it's no big deal. I know how it is. Sometimes you just need to hear a few words of encouragement. Kids are like that." He added, not so quietly.

"Kids are like that?" Mission gaped. "Listen you… " She stopped and then grinned. "Oh, I get it. Okay, you got me. You're pretty funny, Carth. For an old guy." She noted, smirking at his glare. "Come on, you geezer – let´s get back to what we were doing."

They came up to the Bek base and were let in immediately. Behind his desk, Gandon smiled as they came up. "Ah, you're back. Did you get it?"

Vance set the accelerator on his desk. "There you go."

"I was beginning to wonder if you would make it," Gandon said. "The race is tomorrow and my mechanics need time to install the prototype into the swoop engine of the bike."

"Okay, we lived up to our part of the deal," Vance said. "Now, how about getting Bastila back?"

Gandon smiled. "Don't worry, I´m a man of my word. I promised this race would get your friend back and it will do that. And I´m even going to go one better – I´m going to let you ride the swoop bike with the prototype accelerator installed on it. Without it, you won't stand a chance."

"Gadon! You can't be serious!" Zaerdra gasped. "We need one of our best riders on that bike! We can't let some rookie take the prototype engine into the race!"

"Hold on!" Carth burst. "You want one of us racing? I've handled starfighters of almost every type but nothing like this!"

"Me either," Buffy stated, looking to Faith. The brunette threw up her hands. "Hey, come on, B, I never even got a driver's license!"

"I'll do it," Vance said. At their startled stares, he shrugged. "I did some racing a few years back. I know how it works." He narrowed his eyes at Gandon. "But your second has a point. Why let me ride it?"

Gadon seemed a bit embarrassed when he explained. "I have to be honest with you – there's a reason I´m letting you take the prototype engine. The accelerator isn't stable; there's a good chance it could explode during the race."

"Explode?" Carth repeated, shocked. "Are you kidding?"

"I can't ask one of my own riders to do it – they'll be riding unmodified swoops. If you can complete the track before the accelerator overheats, then you'll win for the Beks. If you die, then one of my other riders could still come through for me." Gadon added as if Carth hadn't said anything.

"Sounds like you've got all your bases covered," Buffy coolly noted.

"You don't get to be leader of a swoop gang if you don't know how to work all the angles," Gandon replied with a small smile.

Buffy looked to Vance. "There has to be another way."

"None I can see," Vance said. "Listen, it'll be okay. Like I said, I've done it before, I know how to race."

"Very well, then," Gandon stated. "You can stay here tonight. The mechanics need time to install the accelerator on the engine, so you won't be able to practice your riding. Just try to relax and tomorrow we'll take you to the swoop track."

He moved to take the accelerator over to the mechanics as the group conferred. "I don't like this," Carth stated. "There's way too many risks here."

"I agree," Buffy said. "But we're not exactly bursting with options at the moment. Listen, you guys better get back to the apartment and hold the fort. I'll stick with Vance."

"You sure, B?" Faith asked.

"Yep," Buffy said. "Don't worry, I got my saber."

Carth sighed. "Okay then." He moved to shake Vance's hand. "Good luck tomorrow. For the sake of the Republic, I hope you win."

"Great way to leave the pressure off, Carth," Faith snarked as she led them away. That left Buffy and Vance to ponder the events of the day ahead.


	6. Chapter 6

Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

The small room Buffy and Vance were placed in was a bit tighter than the Jedi would have liked but she made do. She was seated on her bed, staring at the wall as Vance lay on his side. "You should get some sleep," he murmured.

"You're the one racing tomorrow," Buffy noted. "You need it more."

Vance moved onto his back. "I don't need much sleep."

"Me either," Buffy said. "I've been used to being up at night a lot." She paused and looked to him. "So…what's your story?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's just…I don't really know anything about you. We're on a serious mission, we have to rely on each other and I know pretty much squat."

Vance shrugged. "Well, not too much to tell. I grew up on Alderaan. My parents…well, I never really knew them. I don't know if they died or just abandoned me but I grew up in some…foster care."

Buffy pursed her lips. "Sorry."

"Hey, not your fault," Vance replied. "Anyway, I learned some skills as I grew which came in handy during the war."

"Did you fight in it?"

"I served with the Republic," Vance confirmed. His eyes took on a haunted look. "But after it ended…well, I was just so tired of all that death, all that chaos. I…I just had to get away from it all."

"So you became a smuggler?" Buffy asked. "Not exactly a huge change in careers."

"I did my smuggling to people who needed supplies but the Republic red-tape wouldn't let them get it," Vance defended. "After Revan and Malak attacked, I started to aid the Republic more, getting goods behind lines and stuff. I guess that got attention from somebody high-up and they hired me to accompany Bastila." He sighed and spread his hands. "Lucky me, huh?"

Buffy bit her lip. "You really don't know why they wanted you?"

Vance shook his head. "Didn't Bastila say anything?"

"She never mentioned you at all."

Vance peered at her. "Don't start being suspicious of me. I already got that from Onasi."

Buffy held up her hand. "No, no, I believe you. I can sense you mean well." She saw him stiffen and frowned. "Something wrong?"

"I…I just don't like the idea of someone being able to worm into my head," Vance admitted.

Buffy smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not that strong yet. I can read emotions though and I've always had a danger sense warning me of trouble. From what I can tell…you're a good man."

Vance was silent. "If you saw what I did in the war, you might disagree," he softly said. He quickly moved on. "So your friend said you weren't always a Jedi?"

Buffy nodded. "Let's just say I fell into it late in life."

"I didn't think the Council took learners on once they got past childhood."

"That's me. Always the chosen one," Buffy tried to laugh.

Vance sniffed and rolled over. "I don't believe in that sort of thing."

"You don't believe in the destiny of the Force?"

"With all respect, Buffy, when you get into a true war, you'll see the Force can be pretty unfair," Vance said with bitterness. "I've seen too many good men and women die and too many tyrants and Sith live to believe in any great fate or destiny anymore." He closed his eyes and lay his head back. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying…Let's just rest. Tomorrow's gonna be a big day."

"Yeah, it is," Buffy softly agreed. She lay back but kept her eyes on him, once more struck by that odd tingle she felt when she looked at the man's aura.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy had never seen a swoop race before but it was easy to see the similarities to car races on Earth. The track was in an abandoned tunnel in the Lower City, long enough for the racers to go. There was a set of bleachers nearby for people to watch the large viewscreens set up by the ceiling. Some showed the track itself while others saw the view from the cameras set up on the bikes.

The various gangs crowded around their bikes. It was clear to Buffy they were divided between the Vulkars and the Beks as well as those gangs sympathetic to each. Both sides were giving the others ugly looks but it appeared they were willing to keep any violence to a minimum.

The bikes themselves basically resembled a large engine attached to a small passenger pod. The rules were simple: Just keep the pod going on the tunnel, avoid the obstacles set along the path and hit the five accelerator pads to keep the bike going. The person with the shortest time after five heats was the winner.

Vance was with the Beks as they pushed the bike onto the track, talking about the craft and what it could do. Buffy's attention was distracted as she swept along the section near the reviewing stand before finding what she was looking for.

She couldn't keep back a gasp as she saw her Jedi master. Bastila was standing in a cage, dressed in a rather unbecoming outfit that showed off more skin than Buffy knew she ever would have wanted to. Around her neck was a large metal collar that seemed to glow with electricity. _Neural disruptor_, Buffy realized. She tried to reach out to touch her teacher's mind but all she got was telepathic static.

Turning back to Vance, she saw him moving to the bike. "How does it look?" she asked.

"Not too bad," he answered. He nodded to the Ithorian next to him. "This is Tuula, the chief mechanic."

Buffy nodded to him. "Okay, let's put our cards on the table. How long with this prototype last?"

The long-necked brown-skinned alien who reminded Buffy of a hammerhead shark hummed. "_Hmmm….I'd say three, maybe four laps before it blows. So you'll have to get a good time out there."_

"What's the time to beat?" Vance asked.

"_Thirty-eight seconds, rookie. And we've already had one rider that has crashed and died on the tracks. Don't get your hopes up. No first timer ever WINS the season opener. Most of them just die in it."_

"I won't," Vance said as he slipped his helmet on. He looked to Buffy and grinned. "I don't suppose you'll be willing to give me a good luck kiss?"

Buffy crossed her arms. "How about you win and we'll see?"

"Ah, now that's an incentive," Vance said as he moved into the bike. Buffy moved over and leaned in. "Seriously," she whispered. "Be careful."

"I promise I won't die." He gave her a thumbs-up as the Beks moved the bike into position. He lay back, gripping the handlebars as he got ready. Buffy moved back with the other Beks as she watched, keeping herself calm.

Above Vance, the warning lights flashed and then turned green. Kicking the bike into gear, Vance ripped down the long tunnel, thrown back in his seat by the g-forces. He managed to keep the bike ripping down the tunnel, moving through stages of accelerating as he commanded the swoop. He jerked it from side to side to avoid the debris and other obstacles in his way, the world becoming a gray blur. Even on the viewscreens, Buffy had a hard time following his trail and before she knew it, he had crossed the finish line.

Vance immediately threw the emergency brake to slow down and stopped. He heaved for breath as the Beks helped pull the bike off the track and do the side tunnel leading back to the race start. The announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers above the crowd. "And that was Vance Jarcen for the Hidden Beks with a time of…thirty-five seconds, a new track record!"

_"Amazing!" _Tuula said as he helped Vance out of the bike. _"I've never seen anyone handle a bike like that!"_

"Not my first time," Vance admitted.

_"Still, it will be hard for anyone to top that!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As it turned out, it wasn't that hard.

On the third lap, Redos, the arrogant rider for the Vulkars, ended up with a race of thirty-two seconds. It was, Tuula warned, a hard time to beat.

_"Even with the accelerator," _the Ithorian warned_. "It will be hard. Go too fast and you won't be able to avoid the obstacles in the way. Not to mention I don't know if the prototype can take it." _

"It has to be done," Vance said as he strapped himself back in the pod. "Too much is riding on this."

Tuula shook his long-necked head and gave him a pat of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, Vance leaned back and got ready.

As she watched him take off, Buffy felt that odd sensation again coming from him. She frowned and concentrated on it, focusing on the smuggler as he rode. She could almost sense him gauging the track before him, kicking the bike into speeds it was never designed to take but avoiding obstacles as if…

As if…

As if he knew they were coming.

Buffy's eyes shot wide open. She barely registered Vance crossing the finish line. She didn't hear the roar of the crowd. She didn't see the astonishment of the various gang members and riders as it was announced Vance had completed the track in a record twenty-five seconds. All she could do was think about the discovery she just made.

There was no doubt about it. The aura was unmistakable. Vance had been tapping into the Force with that last run. It wasn't a huge use, Buffy doubted even he realized it but it was there. Which meant that Vance appeared to be Force sensitive.

Buffy made her way down to the Beks who were huddled and cheering Vance as he stepped out of the pod and made a triumphant pump with his fist. She had no idea where this new development was going to go but she had to deal with it soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The race had a few more heats to go but the outcome was never in doubt. One rider who tried to beat Vance's time ended up a smear on the tunnel wall and the rest were willing to settle for second or third. At the end of the race, the Beks were declared the winners.

Vance headed to the winner's circle where the race manager was prepared to give him the prizes. At the stand was a dark-skinned man in bright armor and a sour expression that Vance knew had to be Brejik.

"And so," the Duros announcer was stating. "It is time for the Black Vulkars to give the prize to the Hidden Beks and their champion rider!"

Instead of handing it over, Brejik snarled and raised his arms. "People, hear me!" he called out. "The Beks cheated! The winner used an illegal swoop engine in the race and therefore he should be disqualified."

"You're a damn liar Brejik!" Vance accused.

Brejik continued, ignoring his statement. "Because of this, I am withdrawing the Vulkar's share of the prizes."

"You can't do that, all participants must submit a prize!" said the race manager. "Its tradition!"

"You fool!" Brejik snarled. "I don't care about your stupid traditions! The Vulkars are the future and then I'll do away with these rules! This woman will fetch a nice price on the slave market, and with her I'll gain the support of all the swoop gangs."

"Not if I have something to say about that Brejik." said a cultured voice with a pleasant accent.

Everyone in the pit turned towards the cage to see Bastila look up, her eyes clear and the collar off. She held out a hand and the guard next to her was thrown into the cage. It broke open and she grabbed his twin-bladed vibroblade out of the air.

"H … how is this possible?" Brejik gasped. "You were under the influence of a neural restraint collar; you couldn't have summoned the will to free yourself!"

"You underestimate the power of a Jedi's mind," Bastila spat. "A mistake you won't live to make again." Bastila spat

Brejik was furious that things were not going as planned, but also afraid of the Jedi that managed to escape; he had one last idea up his sleeve in an attempt to fix things. "Vulkars, to me, kill this woman, kill the swoop rider, kill them all!"

"I should have known," Vance said as he turned to punch a Vulkar guard and grabbed his sword. In seconds, the area was a battlefield as Vulkars, Beks and their respective allies went at it. Bastila was using the Force to fling several Vulkars back as Vance cut down another.

Buffy leapt into the fray, her lightsaber swinging toward anyone in Vulkar colors. Many of them fled at the sight of the flashing blade, allowing her more room to move. She saw Vance cut down Redos and saw Bastila dueling with Brejik. The Vulkar leader was good, his blade dancing in the air but he was up against one of the more experienced Knights of the Order. Bastila simply waited for him to overswing and rose up to jab her weapon into his neck. Brejik gasped out loud before falling to his knees and then collapsing to the floor.

The death of their leader was the straw that broke the bantha's back for the Vulkars and they immediately scattered. Most of the Beks followed after them while others tried to help the wounded among the various gangs. Bastila heaved for breath as she looked about, her eyes falling on Vance. "Maybe those bloody Vulkars will think twice next time before trying to keep a Jedi prisoner." She was still emotional from her ordeal and decided to take some anger out on him. "And as for you, if you think you can collect me as a prize …. wait …" she stopped abruptly as she took in his face. Her own dissolved into disbelief. "You…"

"Vance Jarcen," he answered. "I'm the contact you were supposed to meet?"

Shaking her head, Bastila's voice was filled with wonder. "Can you explain to me what you were trying to accomplish by riding in that swoop race?"

"I was trying to save you."

"Save me?" said Bastila incredulously. "Well you did a poor job of it. In case you hadn't noticed, I managed to free myself from that neural restraint collar without your help; in fact it's more accurate to say that _I _saved _you._"

Vance's eyes went wide. "Are you kidding me? You were collared and helpless, Jedi! Brejik had you at his mercy!"

"He may have had me at a disadvantage, but a Jedi is never helpless; maybe you've heard of a little thing called the Force." Bastila said in a mocking tone. "But I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on you. You did try to save me after all; even if it didn't go quite as planned. So, let's get down to business."

Vance just stared at her, overwhelmed by her arrogance. Bastila didn't' appear to notice as she rambled on. "We're not out of danger yet. If I'm going to figure out a way for us to get off this planet I need to know what kind of resources we can draw on. First are we the only two survivors left from the _Endar Spire_?"

"Bastila!" The woman turned to see Buffy coming up, her breath short as she came up to her teacher. Bastila smiled as she saw her. "Buffy!" she cried out. Seeing Vance, she quickly composed herself. "I mean…Ellaine…"

"It's okay, he already knows," Buffy said. She suppressed the urge to give her teacher a hug, knowing Bastila would let her have it for such an emotional outburst in public. "It's good to see you alive."

"And you as well, Padawan," Bastila said. She moved over to examine Brejik, pulling out her double-bladed lightsaber from his belt. "Ah, here we are. And I believe he had my outfit here," she hefted his bag. Buffy saw how Vance was observing her body and smacked him in the arm.

Rising, Bastila turned back to them. "Well, then. Now that this excuse for a rescue is completed, perhaps we can turn attention to important matters?"

"We'd better see Carth then," Vance stated.

"Commander Onasi is alive?" Bastila burst. "That is excellent news! Where is he?"

"Come on," Buffy said as she led her Master away. "Now that we've got you, we can work on getting off Taris."

Bastila sniffed. "Hopefully, it will be much less troublesome as this was."

Behind the two Jedi, Vance looked upward as if asking what he'd done to deserve this.


	7. Chapter 7

Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

High above Taris, the Sith fleet was spread out. The dark ships crossed the skies overhead, ensuring no one would attempt to escape. Sith dreadnaughts were always impressive sights, almost totally black and packed with enough firepower to lay waste to a planet.

The largest of all of these was the aptly named _Leviathan._ Seen from the side, it resembled the pincher claw of a crab-type creature with the bridge rising from the rear above the engines. Small Sith fighters zipped around it as it made its patrol.

On the bridge, Saul Karath, Admiral and commander of the Sith fleet, walked across the wide space. He was in his fifties but still walked with a hard-backed stride, his graying hair kept under a dark cap, his dark uniform holding the shoulder bars of his rank. The bridge was really two levels, one a set of catwalks lining the large windows that looked into space. Below were a pair of pits where technicians, pilots and other officers worked. Armored Sith soldiers patrolled the sides.

At the moment, Karath's attention was not on any of them but on the figure who stood before the window, gazing out onto Taris. From behind, he was a tall man, his shaved head decorated with vibrant blue tattoos that stood out against his ashen skin. He stood with his hands behind his back, his gray cape draped over his right shoulder, his red bodysuit standing out vividly among the sea of gray and black Sith uniforms and polished silver armor.

Karath swallowed as he saw the man, knowing the power he possessed. It was as if the air around him grew darker wherever he went. Karath had actually seen insects drop dead when they got near the figure. Karath did his best to swallow his fear as he carefully approached Darth Malak, Lord of the Sith.

"You summoned me, Lord Malak?"

Malak's voice came with an electronic echo but it still held a blatant cruelty that no droid could ever match. "What is the progress of the search for Bastila, Admiral?"

Karath tried to remain professional as he answered. "We have patrols investigating every area of the planet, my Lord. However, they have reported problems with the locals. And it is a very large planet to search, my Lord."

"I asked for progress, Admiral, not excuses," Malak stated.

Karath licked his dry lips. "We are doing our best, my Lord. We know how important it is to get Bastila alive…"

"It is also important," Malak interrupted. "That we must stop her from using her battle meditation on us. The search for Bastila is taking too long. We cannot risk her escaping Taris."

"I agree, my Lord," Karath quickly said. "But I do not see what other options we have in order------"

"Destroy the entire planet. Totally"

Karath's jaw dropped. He hoped he had heard "Lord Malak? The...the entire planet?"

"Unless you know a way to totally destroy half a planet, Admiral," Malak said in a dry tone.

Karath shook his head. "But...there are billions of innocent civilians on Taris, not to mention hundreds of our own troops on the surface! We'd be killing------"

Malak turned around and no matter how many times he saw it, Karath could not suppress the icy hand of fear that gripped his heart every time he saw his Master's face.

From the nose down, Malak's face consisted of a large metallic mask that looped around his neck and just under his ears. Where his mouth would have been was a slit that covered the synthesizer that was placed on his voicebox. His eyes were dark yellow, any humanity within them long since extinguished.

Just how Malak lost his jaw was the subject of discussion among the Sith. Of course, said discussions were made when the discussers knew Malak was well out of earshot. The official story was that it had happened in combat, although some versions differed on the cause. Some said it was an explosive charge from a mine or grenade. Others said it was the lightsaber strike of a Jedi.

However, some believed the true cause was much different. The biggest speculation was that Revan had done it to punish Malak for some offensive. Again, there were differing versions of this tale as well. Some said that Revan had used his lightsaber but others claimed the Dark Lord had actually used his powers to wither the flesh off Malak's face. As the injury coincided with the destruction of Telos, the theory was that Revan had been upset that Malak had ordered the civilian population of the planet attacked as well as military.

Whatever the reason, the injury was there. Malak could have had it repaired after Revan's death but instead kept it. He said it was to show the sacrifices he made for the Sith. Most everyone else thought it was because he knew how much it added to his already intimidating presence. One of those was Karath, who was feeling said presence quite a lot at this moment.

Malak's eyes grew colder as he stared down. "Your predecessor made the mistake of questioning my orders, Admiral Karath. Surely you are not so foolish as to repeat his mistake." The electronic echo gave his voice even more cold menace.

Karath swallowed hard, knowing he was on dangerous ground. He'd seen Malak execute men for far less than this. "Of...of course not, my Lord. I will do as you command, but it will take some time to get the fleet in position."

"How long?"

"Ah…the better part of the day if you wish us to be able to strike well at once. I will begin immediately."

"Very well. Dismissed, Admiral."

Karath was a soldier. He followed orders, that was his duty. But he still felt a heavy heart as he prepared to give an order he wished he didn't have to. He glanced behind him and out the window to see the planet below. He tried to imagine all the people running around, conducting their lives, unaware that this was the last day of their lives. His gaze turned to where Malak was standing, arms crossed, gazing coldly at the world he'd just pronounced a death sentence on.

**A short chapter I know, but thought a scene as cool as this deserved its separate entry. Getting into more serious fun soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

"You mean you haven't even found a way off this planet yet?" Bastila demanded. She was standing in the small apartment, facing Carth, Buffy, Faith, Vance and Zaalbar. Mission was out getting some supplies and was thus absent for the sight of the Jedi glaring at everyone, clad in her usual dress. "Just what have you been doing all this time?" she demanded.

"Trying to find your scrawny ass, remember?" Faith snapped.

Bastilla gave a "humph" sound. "Well, then. Now that I'm back in charge of this mission, perhaps we can start doing things properly." Buffy rolled her eyes as she recognized the bossy tone Bastila was taking. "Hopefully our escape from Taris will go more smoothly than when you 'rescued' me from Brejik." The quasi-sarcasm was even more irritating.

Carth narrowed his eyes as he coolly spoke back. "I know you're new at this, Bastila, but a leader doesn't berate her troops just because things aren't going as planned. Don't let your ego get in the way of the real issues here."

"That hardly strikes me as an appropriate way of addressing your commander, Carth," Bastila haughtily said. "I am a member of the Jedi Order and this is my mission. My battle meditation has won several key victories for the Republic. Don't forget that!"

"Your talents might win us a few battles, but that doesn't make you a good leader! A good leader would at least listen to the advice of those who have seen more combat than she ever will!"

As the two argued, Zaalbar growled something under his breath. Faith didn't know what it was but she suspected it was something along the lines of "foolish humans." She and Vance exchanged a roll of the eyes before Faith stepped forward. "All right, both of you, SHUT IT!"

They both stopped arguing and turned to her, surprised at her outburst. The Slayer's face was tight as she started to speak. "If all you two are gonna do is bitch and moan over who's in charge, we might as well turn ourselves over to the Sith right now! Frankly, B and Vance are the only ones showing any actual professionalism around here!" She pointed at Bastila. "Now, I don't care how powerful you are or what fancy Force powers you got. If it weren't for us, you'd be handed over to some bike gang and on your own so maybe you oughta take a hint from your 'apprentice' and admit even a great Jedi needs help!"

As Buffy bit her lip to stop from laughing and Bastila sputtered in disbelief, Faith turned to Carth. "Carth, I know you're tired out and I sympathize about being pissed with this woman but, like it or not, she is a commanding officer so a bit of respect should be called for, especially given her abilities."

She backed up and looked to Vance. "Now, me and Vance are gonna check out the Upper City cantinas, try to find out if there's any way off this rock. Z," she looked to the Wookie. "No offense, but you're not exactly inconspicuous in the Lower City, let alone up here so you'd better stay here and help Buffy make sure these two don't kill each other." The Wookie smiled and nodded. Faith nodded and turned to Vance. "Shall we?"

The smuggler had a wide smile on his face. "After you." The two marched out and into the hallway. "That was…very refreshing," he said. "It's been way too long since I saw someone speak back to the Jedi like that."

Faith shrugged. "Let's just say the lady reminds me too much of some guys I used to know." Before she could go on, they saw Mission coming up with a small bag. "Hey," the Twi'lek said. "How are things going?"

"Be careful going in there," Faith said. "I'm amazed that apartment can hold in that Jedi's ego."

Mission shrugged. "I'll watch it." She looked over to Vance. "Word's gotten out about your win, you're getting famous."

Vance seemed bothered by that. "Hmm…I didn't think about that. The bigger the rep, the more the Sith might be inclined to look into us."

"Well, I know one guy who does," Mission stated. "I just got word that there's someone who wants to see you in the cantina up here. Canderous."

Faith frowned. "The Mandalorian who works for Davik? What does he want?"

Mission shrugged. "I don't know but maybe it could help us out."

"It's worth checking out," Vance agreed. "Okay, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bastila had been silent after Faith's verbal smackdown, taking the time to examine her lightsaber. Carth frowned as he looked at her. "Say, Bastila, I was wondering. How did those Vulkars manage to capture a famous Jedi like you? Were you knocked out when your escape pod crashed?"

Buffy was struck by the fact that Bastila actually seemed to blush under the question. "No, I was conscious. But my Force powers were exhausted from using my Battle Meditation in the battle of the _Endar Spire_. Without my help, you might have never gotten off that ship alive."

"Fair enough," Carth allowed. "But I've seen you Jedi in action. There's no way those Vulkars would have stood a chance against your lightsaber."

"My lightsaber was…" she hesitated, "Misplaced. I couldn't find it after the crash. I looked _everywhere_ in that pod. The Vulkars came and overwhelmed me even as I was searching for my weapon."

Carth's eyes widened before he started laughing. "Wait a minute, let me get this straight. You lost your lightsaber?" Carth asked, great deal of emphasis on the word 'lost'. "Ha-ha! I mean, isn't that a violation of some kind of Jedi Code or something?"

"As a matter of fact, it is," Buffy said, moving forward with a gleam in her eye. "You actually lost your saber?"

"Padawan…"

"That saber is your _life,_ Bastila!" Carth, Mission and Zaalbar all sniggered at the way Buffy mimicked her teacher's accent and tone. "To lose it is to lose part of yourself! Only the most inexperienced of younglings could misplace it in a time of need!" It was clear she was using words Bastila had ingrained on her numerous times over the years.

"Just our luck," Mission said. "We had to get the most absent-minded Jedi in the galaxy."

Even Zaalbar couldn't help but comment. _"Perhaps losing her lightsaber is a side-effect of her battle meditation?"_

The Jedi Knight's face flushed. "This is no laughing matter!" Bastila snapped. "During the crash my lightsaber must have… it must have fallen from my belt and rolled under my seat! The Vulkars probably found it when they searched the wreckage."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get mad." Carth said defensively. "I´m sorry. It's just funny to think of a legendary Jedi losing her lightsaber. Take my advice: this is one detail you might want to keep out of the history texts," He was obvious he wasn't serious. Bastila didn't get it, since she blushed slightly.

"I hardly consider myself a legend, Carth. Though I will consider your advice when I relate these events to the Jedi Council. There is no need for them to know _every_ detail of what happened." Trying to keep as much of her dignity as she could, she took the saber over to the small workbench on the far end of the room to make sure it was in good condition.

Buffy came up and Bastila sensed her approach. "I assume that was the other…Slayer you spoke of?"

Buffy nodded. "Yep, that's Faith."

"Has she always had such an attitude?"

"She's actually mellowed since I last met her." Buffy shook her head. "I still can't believe she's been here all the time. I mean, seriously, the odds of both of us being blasted into this galaxy…"

"As I've told you before," Bastila said. "There is no luck or chance. There is the Force. I do suspect she has a reason for being here, just as you do."

Buffy leaned over, her voice lowering to a whisper only Bastila could hear. "I…I needed to talk to you."

"If you are going to start on making fun of me again, Padawan…"

"No, no, I'm not. Although, losing your lightsaber…"

Bastila sighed. "I'm going to be hearing about this for the rest of the day, aren't I?"

"Day nothing. We're talking weeks here." Buffy sobered as she spoke. "Actually, it's about Vance."

"What about him?"

"I think he's Force sensitive."

Bastila stopped her work to look up at her, her face concerned. "Are…are you sure?"

Buffy nodded. "I felt a twinge from him inside the Vulkar base. And then I sensed him tapping into it during the race. It seems small, maybe even he doesn't know but I was feeling him more on the way back and it's there."

Bastila rubbed her chin. "Interesting…has he said anything else?"

Buffy shook her head. "Haven't had the chance to talk to him about it. How much do you know about him, anyway?"

"Only from his service record," Bastila said. "He was supposed to aid us in a mission but we were attacked before I got specific orders from the Council."

"Maybe we need to talk to him about this."

"First things first, Padawan," Bastila instructed. "I need to examine my lightsaber now and make sure it is in proper order."

Buffy nodded as she looked at the device herself. "Do you need me to magnetize it to your hand?"

"PADAWAN!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The cantina Faith and Vance entered was cleaner and more upscale than the Lower City one. The patrons were mostly Upper City folk who mingled among the various forms of entertainment. A couple smiled at Faith as she passed. "They know you?" Vance asked.

"They do," Faith said. She nodded toward a large room at the rear. "The dueling arenas are set up here. It's been a while but I still got a rep."

Vance took that in as they found a table and sat down. "So…" he began. "How long you known Buffy?"

"A few years," Faith said. "Actually haven't seen her in two. It's a really long story and frankly, you wouldn't be able to buy half of it."

Vance smirked. "I've been around the galaxy a few times. You'd be amazed what I can buy."

Faith shrugged. "Well, suffice to say, if there's anyone who can shake the Jedi up, it'll be B."

"She does seem to have that gift," Vance noted.

Faith peered at him. "Watch it, pal. Even without the Jedi thing, you wouldn't want to get involved with Buffy."

"What makes you think I would?" he asked with surprise.

Faith snorted. "I've seen how you eyed her. When a guy eyes her more than me, he's got some sights set. Besides, you seem trouble and unfortunately, that's the sort of thing that's always pulled her in."

"Really?" he asked, sounding interested.

Faith set her jaw and leaned in, her tone low. "I'm warning you. Back off. Buffy has been through a hell of a lot, far more than anyone her age should. She doesn't need getting hurt again. Because then, I'd have to hurt you."

Vance threw up his hands. "Okay, okay, I get the message." He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow. "Who'd you rather see her with, Onasi? Talk about attitude…"

"Hey," Faith snapped. "You don't know him. You don't know what he's been through either. Trust me, you don't wanna press him."

Vance frowned. "What do you mean?"

Faith glanced away. "It's not for me to say. He just…he's been through some hard times and he could use some slack cut for him. That's all I'm going to say."

Vance sensed something else behind her words but before he could press it, a shadow fell upon them. They looked up to see the hard-bitten Mandalorian they had met in the Lower City standing before them. "I see you got my message," he rumbled.

"I did," Vance said, motioning to the empty seat. The man sat down and gave them a humorless smile. "I saw you in the swoop race. Very impressive. You seem to know how to get results. That's just the kind of person I´m looking for."

"Cut the small talk. I was told you wanted to tell me about some sort of offer. So?"

Canderous smirked, obviously amused "My name's Canderous Ordo. I work for Davik Kang and the Exchange. The hours aren't great, but they've promised me a fortune and I've got nothing better to do. Mandalorian mercs like me are in high demand."

"Rare species are always valuable," Vance noted.

"True." Canderous nodded. "But lately, Davik hasn't been paying me what he promised. I don't like being cheated, so I thought that maybe it's time to get off this rock."

"Is there a point to this or are you just unloading your problems on anyone?" Faith demanded.

"Davik's got a ship that can fly though the blockade," Canderous answered. "Problem is, the Sith fleet is ready to blow apart any ship that doesn't have the proper access codes. I've got a plan to escape Taris, but I can't manage it alone. I saw you win that race and started thinking – anyone crazy enough to race like that is probably crazy enough to break into the Sith military base. I need the launch codes protected there. That's where you come in. Here's the deal: you get me those launch codes and I can provide the escape vessel – Davik´s flagship, the _Ebon Hawk_."

"A Sith base?" Faith said in disbelief. "Are you kidding? That place is gonna be the most well-protected on the planet!"

Canderous smirked. "Ah, not really. See, your friend's little escapade after the race has caused the gang war to kick into high gear. The Vulkars are losing, there's no doubt but the chaos down there is too much for the Sith to ignore. They've beefed up security going down while also trying to send what patrols they can to restore order. The base's security should therefore be quite low. Low enough for a small team to enter and get the codes."

"Then why do you need us?" Vance asked. "Aren't you capable enough to do this?"

The Mandalorian's eyes flashed with anger but he controlled himself. "The Sith know me. They know I work for Davik. So if I go in and take it and they catch me on cameras, they'll invade Davik's estate. However, they don't know you so Davik will be in the clear."

"And if we're caught or killed, the secretary will disavow all knowledge of our actions," Faith sardonically stated. Ignoring the baffled look the two men shared, she spoke. "Still, getting into a Sith base means getting into serious security."

"She's right," Vance stated. "I've been in those types of facilities. The encrypted security systems are too advanced to be sliced by a human."

"It would take a top-of-a-line astromech droid to slice it," Canderous agreed. "Lucky for you, I've got just the droid we need. Davik had a T3-M4 unit custom made by Janice Nall. Just tell her Canderous sent you and she'll sell you the droid. You shouldn't have a problem with that – everyone respects and admires the Mysterious Stranger and the swoop bike champion."

Vance and Faith exchanged a look before nodding. "Okay, we got a deal," Vance stated.

"Good." Canderous rose. "I'll meet you at the cantina in the Lower City. It's close to Davik's place. Hope to see you in a couple of hours." He walked out as Vance and Faith took in his words.

"It's risky," Vance said. "But it's our only shot."

"I agree," Faith said. "But I can bet you our resident Jedi won't."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was right.

"Absolutely not!" Bastila stated, her tone making it clear she considered the conversation closed. "There is now way we are going along with such a, a hare-brained scheme!"

"What's a hare?" Mission murmured as they watched Bastila pace the apartment.

"I have to agree with her on this," Carth announced. "This guy's a Mandalorian. We can't trust him."

"I sensed he was being honest with us," Vance said. "And the plan…"

"Is complete suicide!" Bastila snapped.

"What's your problem?" Faith demanded. "Is it you don't like the plan itself or that you didn't think of it first?"

Bastila gaped as Buffy stepped into the conversation. "I don't like it either but let's face it. We're out of other options. Even if we could get a ship, we'd need those codes anyway. The longer we stay, the better the chances of the Sith finding us. Like it or not, Bastila, this could be our only shot."

Bastila was quiet before slowly nodding. "Very well. I would prefer to go myself but I would be too recognizable. Buffy, you may accompany Vance and Faith there. Hopefully, you can return with the codes in little time."

Buffy nodded and moved to join the two. "We'll be back soon."

"Do try to keep the chaos to a minimum," Bastila quietly said.

"Hey," Buffy grinned. "It's me."

Bastila rubbed her face. "I know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Sith base had been the Republic center on Taris before the invasion. Set on the same level of the Upper City as the cantina, it was considered off-limits to most everyone in the city. The patrols by the front entrance were tight as the soldiers there were on the alert for any trouble.

Which was why the trio were going in the back way.

"You'd think they'd have more guards here," Buffy noted. "I guess they must be stretched on soldiers."

Faith looked at the small metallic form on the ground next to them. "Ready to earn your keep, dish-head?"

A series of beeps answered her. T3-M4 had been a bit costly but it was clear he was worth it. A meter high at the tallest, it had a dish-shape head and a triangular body. A single photoelectric "eye" was in the middle of its head. The silver-colored plating was lovingly polished. As it moved along on its tracks, it whirred smoothly, a sign of careful maintenance and fastidious craftsmanship.

"Do your thing," Faith said, nodding to the door. The droid obediently moved in and extended a probe arm from its body to slide into the lock. It spun around for a few moments as he connected with the system. It paused and its head turned to Faith to let out some whistles.

"Sure, fix the cameras, that's a good idea."

Buffy stared at her with surprise. "I didn't know you spoke droid language."

Faith shrugged. "Ah, you learn a few things trying to survive here. I'm not fluent but I know enough to get the gist of things. Besides, this a simple design of droid."

T3 let out a loud bleep at that. "No offense, T3!" Faith quickly said as Buffy giggled. The droid let out one last spin before retracting the arm and letting the large door open.

It appeared to be a small office room, the woman behind the desk starting as they entered. Faith had a blaster out and aimed at the woman. "Don't hit an alarm or anything," she snarled.

"Don't...don't shoot!" The woman screeched as she held up her hands.  
I never wanted any part of this! I would have quit when the Sith took over, but they said they wouldn't let me!"

Faith motioned with the blaster. "Get out of here. Move!"

"It's about time someone stood up to the Sith! Just...just wait until I'm clear before you start shooting up the place." She ran out the door like a blaster shot. T3 quickly wheeled over to the desk, rising up a bit on its treads so it could extend its arm into the computer terminal.

"Okay," Buffy said as she came up behind the droid. "Now, disable all security, try to cut down on the number of troops we'd have to deal with, find out where the codes are, try to-----"

T3 turned its head to her and Buffy could swear its single eye was narrowing a bit as it let out a series of loud beeps. Vance couldn't help smiling wide as he recognized the droid equivalent of "do you want to do this?" Buffy took the message and backed up as the droid continued its work. It let out a series of whistles as Faith leaned in. "Oh, nice!"

"What?" Buffy asked.

Faith tapped the screen. "Not only did dish-head here seal off the barracks and armory so the guards there can't get out, he also reprogrammed the sentry droids to read the Sith as the enemy!"

Vance grinned widely. "That'll cut down on any response."

Buffy nodded as she patted the droid's head. "Not bad. We're going to have to keep this little guy." T3 let out a cooing whistle as Buffy continued. "Now, where are the codes?"

The droid brought up a map, highlighting a room two floors above. "Looks like the old Governor's office," Faith said. "Elevator is this way!" She led them over to a side room that held a small cell with a Duros behind the force field. _"You there! Remember me!"_

It took the trio a moment to recognize the alien they had saved from the Sith back at the apartment building. "Guess the getaway didn't go as planned," Vance said as he moved over to the security panels on the side. It took a little fiddling but he managed to open them up to shut off the force field around the cell.

"_My thanks once more, human!" _The Duros said as he hopped out. _"I'd best be going. Good luck to whatever endeavor brings you here!"_

As he rushed out, Buffy, Vance, Faith and T3 moved into the next room, past a deactivated security droid and into the elevator. T3 got it moving as the trio checked their weapons. Buffy stiffened as the elevator slowed. "Oh, damn. We've got a problem."

The doors hissed open and they entered a small office. Standing before them was a man in dark Sith armor. He was tall and broad-shouldered, carrying a double-bladed Echani staff. His face was hard as he took in the intruders. "Who dares interrupt my meditation? Wait..." He smiled predatorily at them. "The Force is strong with you...very strong..."

Buffy was thrown by how he was gazing at Vance more than her. "Who would have thought Force Adepts could be found on this insignificant planet?" He chuckled. "I'll enjoy this. Your talents are no match for a disciple of the Dark Side..."

"Yeah, yeah, heard it before," Faith snapped as she lifted up her blaster. "Now calm down before------"

The man held out a hand and Faith gasped, her hand going to her throat as it suddenly felt like a vise was closing around it. Buffy ignited her lightsaber and leaped forward. The man threw his staff out to smack her across the face and send her back. Faith gasped and stumbled back as she sucked in breaths. The Sith twirled his staff and sneered at them. "Killing you three will be just what I need. My master will grant me my lightsaber for this..."

Vance was moving in already, his own blades flashing and smashing against the staff. The Sith was well-trained, matching his strikes and striking out with a fast kick that sent him back. He waved his arm and Vance felt himself flying through the air, thrown right into Faith. They went down in a tumble of limbs as Buffy went back on the offensive.

The Sith ducked her swing and threw out his hand to initate a Force wave. Buffy thrust her own hand back and they stood there, each pushing against the other even though they were several feet apart. Suddenly, the Sith threw his staff out to hit Buffy in the leg. Surprised at the unexpected blow, the Slayer was off-balance enough for the Sith to hurl her against a wall.

The man was about to finish her when a series of beeps got his attention. He turned to see T3 drive toward him, halting a few feet away. The Sith stared and laughed. "Oh, really! And just what do you intend to do, eh?"

A small section of T3's head opened and out came an arm with a cylinder on its end. It fired out a burst of cyroban, the icy liquid spraying over the Sith. The man shrieked in pain as he felt his joints freezing and icicles forming on his face. He stumbled back, trying to keep his focus and turned just in time to see the flash of green light before it sliced through his chest.

Buffy deactivated her lightsaber as the Sith collapsed and looked to her companions. "You two okay?"

Faith and Vance both nodded as they got to their feet. "Five by five," the Slayer said.

Vance peered at her. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I've long wondered the same," Buffy said as she stepped over the man's corpse to check out his desk. It took a few moments for her to find the datapad with the codes she needed. "We got 'em."

"Let's get back to the apartment," Vance said as they moved back to the elevator.

Buffy nodded but her eyes were on Vance. _And once we do, you and I are going to have a little talk._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Did you have any problems?" Bastila asked as the trio entered.

"Ah, nothing too major," Buffy said as she handed the datapad to Carth. "However…" She took Vance by the arm and led him to where Bastila stood in the corner. She looked back at the others. "Ah, guys, can you give us a minute? Jedi business."

Carth didn't look happy with that but obliged, as did the others. Bastila frowned at her apprentice. "Buffy, what are you doing?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "We fought a Sith at the base. He said he sensed a lot of power in Vance."

Bastila looked at Vance. "Hmmm….Do you have anything to add to this?"

The man looked down. "I…I had a vision. The first time I woke up here on Taris…and later, after we rescued you."

"A vision?" Bastila seemed worried. "Of what?"

"I…I saw you fighting someone on a bridge…a masked man in dark robes with a red lightsaber. I saw you fighting until the whole place seemed to explode."

Buffy's jaw fell open as she looked to Bastila. "That…that's the fight between you and Revan. Where I…"

Bastila held up a hand to silence her. "This is…most unexpected. I cannot fathom how you could have a vision of such an event. Perhaps…perhaps I need to consult the Council after this. It's possible you may have a connection to the Force."

"Like a Jedi?" Vance seemed unsure. "I don't know about that…"

"It is a possibility," Bastila stated. "But that is for later. For now, we have a much more pressing matter on our hands."

"Hey!" Carth called out. "If you're done with whatever secret you're keeping, can we get on with our escape?"

Bastila moved to the center of the room and nodded. "I agree, Carth. You shall accompany Buffy, Vance and myself to this meeting with this Mandalorian."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked. "I mean, you're still topping Taris' most wanted list."

"Then what better place to hide than among other criminals?" Bastila logically observed. "This is going to be very dangerous and you will need all the help you can get."

"Makes sense," Carth had to admit. He turned to Faith, Mission and Zaalbar. "You know where Davik lives?"

Faith nodded. "Everybody knows, we just couldn't bust him before. He's way too connected."

"Okay. Give us a head start and then you all hang around there and wait for a signal. This is going to get messy one way or another and we need to save all the time we can to get in that ship."

Bastila looked around and gave a quick nod. "Very well. Let us go." She prepared to leave, the group ready to exit with her. None aware that above the Sith base was beginning to move into the proper firing position…


	9. Chapter 9

Slayers of the Old Republic

Book II: Taris

By Michael Weyer

It was clear from the start that Carth didn't like being with Canderous. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with Bastila's lightsaber. They were giving each other cool glares as the group stood in the main room of Davik Kang's large estate.

It was Canderous' idea to present the group as new recruits for Davik's forces. Bastila was keeping her lightsaber hidden and hoping that a little Force persuasion could keep attention off her. In his rumbled jacket and pants and the fuzz on his face, Carth hardly looked like the typical Republic officer and Buffy and Vance still had their disguises.

Davik himself was a balding man in his late sixties, someone who likely obtained power by starting as a hired gun and either working or killing his way up the ranks. Calo Nord stood to his left, the scarily odd little man evaluating them all with a careful eye.

"So, Canderous," Davik rumbled in his gravely voice. "I see you brought someone with you. Most intriguing if I say so myself. You usually travel alone."

"Not like you to take on partners, Canderous," Calo Nord said. "You're getting soft."

"Shut up, Calo," Canderous snapped. "You may be the newest kath hound in the pack, but you're far from top dog."

Davik glowered at both men. "Enough! I will not having my top men killing each other - it's bad for business. I'm sure Canderous has a good reason for taking on a partner." He walked right up to Vance and grinned broadly.

"Ah, yes. Good judgment, Canderous. I was thinking of recruiting this one. Had a box seat to see the swoop race - not to mention a good view of the brawl afterwards. Very impressive." He smiled down at him. "Republic?"

"Was," Vance replied. "Now freelance. Ordo said you might have a position open up here."

"Canderous was right. The Exchange is always looking for new talent - and with a war going on, times are good. You could have a bright future with us."

Davik gave them a tour, and the centerpiece of it was the _Ebon Hawk_ herself. It was easy to see how it got its name. It was shaped like a bird with its large hull ending in wing-like points with the bridge centered between them. Its dark brown painting allowed it to blend in well in space and it seemed set to take flight at any minute.

"You like it? I'm glad," Davik said. "The _Ebon Hawk_ is the my pride and joy. She's the fastest ship on the Outer Rim, and just as strong as she is fast. My girl's born to run blockades - even the gun turrets are Arkatech top-of the-line...better than the Czerka trash the Sith contract with." He beamed with pride at them. "The _Hawk_ was born to run, but she's been grounded by the blockade. Progress in getting the launch codes to override the Sith automatic turrets has been slow going. With those, I could come and go as I wished." He motioned them to follow. "But we should continue the tour."

He led them around the estate, showing them the armory and barracks before settling them in a large room. "Here you go. You can wait here while I do a little background check. Purely standard, of course. I hope you can attend dinner with me." His eyes sparkled toward Buffy and Bastila. "Been far too long since I had such charming company." He bowed to them before backing up. Calo gave them all a long suspicious look before shutting the door.

"Well, that was easier than I expected," Buffy remarked.

"Don't get cocky, kid," Canderous snapped. "We've got a long ways to go. Davik's place is full of backstabbers and cutthroats."

"Well, then you'd fit right in," Carth muttered.

Canderous' head snapped toward him but he was smiling. "Carth...you fight for the Republic, right?"

"That's right. Signed up when I was sixteen, still a kid, really. That was...well, about twenty years ago."

Canderous chuckled. "I was leading the clan's youth by sixteen. Got my first taste of battle at thirteen, like all Mandalorian lads. I've been a warrior for forty years now." He regarded Carth with honest curiosity. "What battles were you in? We may have faced each other in combat."

Carth looked away, obviously uncomfortable. "I...I try not to think about it. The horrors of war aren't something I like to relive."

"The horrors of war?" Canderous repeated in a mocking tone. "My people know only the glory of battle." He was grinning. "I'm disappointed in you, Carth. I thought a warrior like you might understand. There's got to be a little of the battle-fever within you. Otherwise, why would you be here?"

"I'm not a warrior," Carth snapped. "I'm a soldier. There's a difference. Warriors attack and conquer. They prey on the defenseless. Soldiers are the ones who defend and protect the innocent - usually from warriors."

"Nice speech," Canderous said with a sneer. "I'll bet you tell yourself that every night so you can sleep. I accept who and what I am. I don't have to justify it with trite words. Victory in battle is my justification."

"Justification through victory, huh? So what happens when you lose? You know, like you did when you went up against us?"

Canderous' jaw set hard. "You had five times the men, twice the ships, and the Jedi on your side, and we still managed to make you tremble in fear before we fell. And it was not the numbers or the men or the ships that defeated us. It was one person. Revan."

"Revan?" Buffy asked.

Canderous' eyes took on an almost reverent light. "He was amazing. No one could defeat him, not even Mandalore himself. The subtlety of his tactics, the cunning, the way he made us think he was going to attack one way then strike another. I tell you this: If Revan had been a Mandalorian, nothing in the galaxy could have stopped us.

"Nice speech," Carth said, throwing Canderous' words back at him. "Bet you tell yourself that at night so you can sleep."

Canderous sniffed. "Your kind likes to hide behind pretty words and empty concepts, Republic. For my people, it is the honor and glory of battle that drives us. Through combat, we prove our worth, gain renown, and make our fortunes."

"And that's why you attacked the Republic?"

Canderous shrugged. "The Sith came to us with an offer: to fight in a battle that would be remembered forever. We only wanted the challenge of battle and the glory from having fought it - win or lose." He shook his head sadly. "And we lost."

"Which is what they wanted," Vance pointed out. "The entire point was for you to soften up the Republic so the Sith could strike them after you got crushed."

"Regardless," Canderous stated. "It was the battle we'd long dreamed of. And even in defeat, we carried ourselves well."

"And I suppose being a strong-arm collection agent for a petty crime boss carries a lot of glory and honor," Carth sarcastically said.

"Crushing Davik's enemies and the pathetic gangs of Lower Taris couldn't be considered the most glorious of tasks," Canderous was forced to admit. "More like stepping on bugs. Working for him was like driving a spike through my head. Sure, I get something new in there, but I was losing something too."

He leaned against the wall and looked into the distance. "The days of combat and glory and cheating death at every turn seem to be over now. Times have changed, I suppose. The clans have been scattered, the Republic is in decline, and the Sith Empire rises to take its place. An aging warrior has to take what he can get, but when I think of the battles I've fought...the thousands I've killed...the worlds that I've burned...I weep for my past. "

"Well, on that, we can agree," Carth said. "Only I weep for how you left the way open for Revan and Malak to strike."

"Did you know them?" Vance asked.

"I met Malak once. I was impressed by his power and courage." He sniffed. "Shows how much the Dark Side can change someone I guess." He turned to Bastila. "What about you Bastila? Did you ever think about joining all the Jedi who were running off to follow Revan and Malak when they went to fight the Mandalorians?"

"That was over seven years ago," the Jedi answered. "I was still an apprentice, my Battle Meditation hadn't even manifested itself. Yet even then I had the wisdom to obey the will of the Council. Unlike Revan."

"Don't you ever wonder if things could have been different? Would Revan and Malak still have been corrupted if the Council had supported them instead of dragging its feet?"

Bastila began to turn a shade of pink. "Do not blame Revan's corruption on the Council! Your Republic saw only the threat of the Mandalorians, but the wisdom of the Masters saw beyond the immediate threat. When Revan and Malak left, they took almost an entire generation of Jedi Knights with them, all of whom are now dead or turned to the dark side. The Order is still trying to recover. There was something lurking out there, something that devoured Revan and Malak - and many other Jedi. Had the Council sent us all into the unknown, how many more would have fallen?"

"So you're saying they should have done nothing? Just let the Mandalorians conquer us unopposed? I mean, the Republic was under attack, and the Order abandoned us!"

"We did not abandon you!" Bastila yelled back. "But the Council were not about to throw lives away foolishly. In time, we would have aided you against the Mandalorians. But you could not wait. Revan and Malak offered a quicker answer, and the Republic chose to walk the easy path rather than the path of wisdom. Now we see the results all around us. You asked me if I think things could have been different? I know they could have! If Revan had only listened to the Council, millions of innocent people would still be alive."

Vance snorted. "Yeah, right. And every single one of them would be speaking Mandalorain."

Canderous chuckled, enjoying the argument as Bastila whirled on Vance. "You think it was right to do what they did?"

"I think if you'd seen what we did, you'd have agreed!" Vance snapped back. "You weren't there! I was!"

"Yes and we see where that's led you!"

"HEY!" They all turned to Buffy, whose face was tight. "As much as I love hearing you all argue the merits of a war I had nothing to do with, shouldn't we be concentrating on getting out of here before we have half the Taris underworld on our tails?"

Canderous chuckled louder. "The girl has more sense than any of you." He looked her and smirked. "I think I like you."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I'm so thrilled."

Bastila moved forward and opened the door. She took a look around and then nodded to the others. "Come. The way is clear for now."

They stole their way down the hallways, Canderous taking the lead. They passed one doorway just a loud scream could be heard. "What was that?" Bastila asked.

"Davik's interrogation room," Canderous stated in a flat tone. "The droids are probably doing their work on someone now."

"And you're going to let that happen?" Bastila asked in disbelief.

Canderous gave her a puzzled look. "Why not?"

The Jedi's face hardened and Buffy sighed. She knew that look. Bastila moved in and opened the door. There were a pair of torture cells along with various pain-inducing devices set around from laser scalpels to electro-whips. A pair of spidery torture droids were hovering over the cell, their photo-receptors spinning toward the group. Bastila's lightsaber ignited, the twin yellow blades sweeping in wide arcs to slice the droids apart.

With them destroyed, she could make out the man behind the force field of the cylinder. Bastila quickly freed him and pulled him out. The man heaved for breath. "Than…thank you. You...you have no idea what it was like in that cage. I...I don't know how long it would be before I went mad."

"I couldn't watch a man suffer," she said.

Canderous sniffed. "I could never understand this. I've seen how fierce a Jedi can be in battle and yet you limit yourselves with compassion."

Bastila glared at him. "Without that compassion, we are no better than the Sith."

"My...my name's Hudrow. I tried to quit, and Davik threw me in here. I can't give you anything tangible as a reward." He smiled wanly. "But I've a better way to hurt Davik. Here, do you have a datapad?"

"Here," Carth said, pulling out his and handing it over. Hudrow punched in a quick entry and handed it back.

"Those codes will take out the security system around the _Ebon Hawk_! I used to be her pilot. Use those codes to steal it. Then you can do what you like with it."

"Thanks," Carth said.

"You'd better get out of here," Buffy stated. "Davik's about to take a hit that'll lower his prestige around here."

"Fine by me," Hudrow grinned as he took off running down the hallways.

Buffy smirked at Canderous. "So, any more comments on foolish compassion can be?"

The Mandalorian just grunted as they raced into the hallways. "The hanger is this way," he stated. "You'd better get those friends of yours alerted because we won't have much time before-------"

A loud boom could be heard seconds before the ground rumbled. The entire group halted, confused as another boom could be heard, then another and then it seemed to come without pause. "What the hell is that?" Vance said.

Both Buffy and Bastila let their senses flow out to find the cause. Both suddenly stared with wide eyes and exchanged matching looks of horror.

Outside, the Sith had begun to shower hell on Taris.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A minute earlier, Faith, Mission and Zaalbar had been standing just outside of Davik's estate. They were in a corner away from the sight of the guards outside, trying to keep them being noticed. T3 was next to them, patiently waiting. Zaalbar was still as Mission played a solo game of pazaak. Faith was pacing in place, her natural impatience coming to the fore. ""Come on, come on…"

"Relax, they'll be ready," Mission said. "Gotta admit, I'm kinda surprised you're so eager to get off Taris."

"I've never really thought of this place as home," Faith answered. "It's just a place to hang for a while until I figured things out." She kicked the small bag at her feet. "Hell, look how I put all my needed stuff in one bag."

"Yeah, never thought of this as home much either," Mission said. "Especially without my brother."

Faith was surprised. "Didn't know you had a brother."

Mission smiled. "Yeah, Griff. He was great, he took care of me and------"

The rest of her answer was lost as loud boom echoed through the city. "The hell?" Faith asked, staring up. "Is that…thunder?" She knew rain was rare on Taris and thunderstorms even rarer.

The ground shook suddenly along with more booms. Faith raced over to a sidewalk where she could look up. She saw a streak of red light sail from the sky to strike a skyscraper, blowing the top ten floors to pieces. Another bolt smashed the rest and suddenly the skies seemed to be raining with cannon fire, the towers of Taris wilting under the attack.

"Oh my God," Faith whispered. She swallowed and turned to the stunned Twi'lek and Wookie. "Come on!" She began to run toward the door of the estate. The two guards had already run, seeing the chaos and seeking some sort of shelter.

"What about the signal?" Mission called out as she lugged Faith's bag.

Faith grabbed the bag and slung the strap around her shoulders. "If the Sith bombing us to hell doesn't count as a signal to haul ass, I don't know what does!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

High above Taris, Saul walked across the bridge of the _Leviathan_ to where Malak remained standing, staring out at Taris. The fleet was spread around it, every vessel laying out cannon fire. Saul could see the explosions from space as he waited behind his Master.

"The bombardment is proceeding, Lord Malak," he said, trying to keep his voice cool and professional. "The planet is completely helpless and has issued a surrender. Also, we have received word from the commander of our forces, asking for a halt in the attack so they may evacuate."

Malak simply nodded. "Continue the bombardment, Admiral." He waved a hand toward Taris. "Wipe this pathetic planet from the face of the galaxy!"

Karath nodded and bowed before moving away. Inside, he tried to keep his seething to a minimum. Destroying an entire innocent population was one thing. But it galled him that Malak was willing to wipe out his own forces on the world to boot. Revan at least had _some_ respect for the lives of his own men but Malak considered them as he considered all living things: expendable.

But he was his commander and Karath, much as he hated it, had to follow his orders. He walked over to the communications net to tell the Sith forces on Taris they, like everyone else on the planet, were on their own.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inside the estate, chaos had quickly taken hold. The bombing was bringing out Davik's goons, who flooded the hallways. Most were simply running to get away but a few had enough sense to see the intruders in the halls. Thus, Bastila, Buffy, Carth, Vance and Canderous found themselves in a running firefight through the hallways.

The two Jedi's lightsabers flashed as they carved their way through a trio of Twi'leks. Vance's own dual blades were put to use as he dueled a gray-skinned gang member. Behind them, Carth and Canderous were side by side, laying down a field of fire at a group that emerged from the barracks. Three of them were cut down while the others stayed back. "Cover me!" Carth yelled as he pulled out a grenade and threw it down toward the barracks. The two moved back as it detonated, screams echoing through the halls.

Canderous smirked. "A Mandalorian, a Republic pilot and two Jedi fighting side by side. Bet you never thought you'd live to see this, eh?"

Carth couldn't suppress a smile. "And they say the galaxy never really changes."

"Are you two going to start giving each other flowers?" Buffy called out as she turned from the body she'd just cut down. "Or are we going to get going?"

The two hiked behind as the others raced toward the hanger. The explosions outside were getting louder and more repetitive, indicating the bombardment was coming closer. Canderous opened the door to let them into the hanger. The hanger doors were wide open and a pair of small ships that had been there earlier where already gone, indicating some of Davik's men had been smart enough to realize they had to leave.

As the quintet raced to the _Ebon Hawk_, the doors at the other end of the hanger opened to show Davik and Calo. "Damn those Sith!" Davik was yelling. They're bombing the entire planet! I knew they'd turn on us..."

He stopped upon seeing them and sneered. "Well what do we have here? Thieves in the hangar. Let me guess, you're here to steal my ship for your get away and leave me while the Sith bomb this place to dust? Uh-nuh, I don't think so!"

"We think differently," Canderous stated.

"Your plan, wasn't it, Canderous?" Davik didn't sound surprised, more like resigned. "Should have figured you'd do this."

"You should have known better than to cheat me, Davik. Consider this collecting my back pay."

"I'll take care of them, Davik." Calo's voice still didn't break monotone and the group couldn't help but respect how he seemed to be utterly in control, despite the situation.

"Make it quick, Calo," Davik hissed. "The Sith mean business. If we don't get on the ships and get out of here, their bombs will kill us all."

Bastila licked her lips and tried diplomacy. "There is room enough for all of us. If you are willing to call a truce, we can take you with and drop you off at-------"

"Sorry, lady," Davik interrupted. "My ship and I don't make deals with backstabbers or Jedi."

"Fine by us," Buffy said, lifting her lightsaber as Vance came up to her with his blades. "Let's do this."

"Careful." Calo was holding a small metal globe in his hand. "Thermal detonator and it's good enough to take us all down. I'm not going to be captive to------"

A cannon bolt struck the ceiling and sent a wave of debris down. Calo looked up and for the first time, his face lost composure just before he was struck by the falling ceiling parts.

Davik leaped back and then shook his head. "Fine, I'll do this myself."

Buffy stared at the small globe that rolled away from the pile of debris and toward Davik's feet. "Ah, I think you should look down first."

Davik laughed. "What, is my bootlace untied? I expected better from a Jedi!" He lifted his guns just as the detonator exploded. Davik didn't even have time to scream as flesh and bits of armor were sprayed throughout the hanger.

"Oh, gross!" Buffy said as she wiped a piece of flesh off her shirt. "I thought I was over getting pieces of flesh on my clothes!"

Carth and Canderous were already heading into the _Ebon Hawk_. "Wait, the others!" Buffy called out as she ran over to the hallway, Bastila calling after her.

Buffy entered the hall, which was now filled with smoke and several debris. She saw several shapes moving and held up her lightsaber. She felt her heart soar when she saw Faith leap over a fallen pillar and run toward her. Mission was right behind and Zaalbar took up the rear. The Wookie had T3 held in one strong arm. The droid let out some beeps, not happy with this treatment but Zaalbar knew its treads couldn't handle the wreckage in the hall.

Faith nodded to Buffy as they entered the hanger. "The bastards are bombing the whole damn planet!" she yelled.

"Already gotten that!" Buffy yelled back as she led them to the ship which was already powering up. "Come on, come on!" She entered, the others behind her, Zaalbar ducking to enter as the ramp was pulled up.

In the cockpit, Carth was in the pilot's seat, glad to see the _Hawk's_ controls were easy to handle. Bastila was next to him as he lifted off. The ship moved out of the hanger, heading into the skies just as a pair of bolts destroyed the entire hanger.

Carth hissed as he swung the _Hawk_ through the skies. Before, he might have had a difficult time handling the skyscrapers of Taris. Now, there were no skyscrapers, tower after tower turned into flaming rubble. He looked down to see people on the streets, running about, screaming, looking in vain for help or shelter as the cannon fire reduced them to ash and bone.

_Just like Telos._ Carth shook it aside, trying to concentrate on getting past the rain of fire. He saw one ship shredded into a fireball by a pair of bolts and sailed through it. The _Hawk _was rocked by a glancing blow but Carth kept it steady.

Faith was getting Mission and Zaalbar into a bunkspace aboard the ship when she heard a yell of pain. She ran into the main command center at the heart of the ship to see Buffy and Vance gasping in pain. He was on the floor while she leaned against a holographic projector, both grasping their heads. "B? B!" She grabbed her friend and shook her by the shoulders. "Buffy!" Buffy didn't seem to hear and Faith ran to the bridge.

She paused as she saw the chaos outside and licked her lips. "Something's wrong with Buffy and Vance! They're screaming and howling at nothing!"

Bastila gravely nodded. "As I feared…they're feeling it."

"Feeling what?"

"Everyone." The Jedi's face was drawn. "Every death on this planet is echoing through the Force. Millions at once, all in pain and agony and it's overwhelming them."

"Why not you?" Carth asked.

"I've had training," Bastila stated. "Even so, it's a struggle. They can't block out the effects as I can, it's hitting them all at once. Once we get away, it should be better for them."

Carth was grim as they soared out into space. He swung the _Hawk_ away from one of the bigger Sith vessels but saw a flashing light on the console. "We've got fighters!" he yelled out. He looked over his shoulder. "Faith, get Canderous to help you with the gun turrets! We're going to need some time before we go into hyperspace!"

"I've never handled-----"

"Just aim and shoot! GO!" Faith swallowed and ran to where the gun turrets were placed at the rear of the ship. She heard blasting and saw Canderous was already in one, handling it with ease. Faith crawled up the ladder to the second one and sat in the reclining chair.

She'd never handled a turret before but grasped it was like a fancy video game. She brought up the screen to target the oncoming Sith fighters. She fired, missing her first few shots as the fighters swept over to streak the _Hawk _with laser fighter. The ship buckled but its shields held. As Faith swung the cannon around, she saw Taris from above, saw a pair of escaping ships blown apart and rage took hold. She gripped the handles hard and held down the triggers as she swept the cannon about. She caught one fighter, ripping it to shreds. The other cut away only to be caught by Canderous' cannon.

"Okay, we're ready for the jump!" Carth's voice echoed through the ship. "Everyone hold on!"

Faith quickly buckled the belt on her seat and took a deep breath. She felt a tug as the ship seemed to be stretched out, then rocketed forward. The space outside turned into a streaking tunnel of blue and white as the _Ebon Hawk_ and its crew escaped the ruins of what had once been a great planet.

None of them realized that the danger and the journey for them all was only beginning.

**Wheh! Thanks for holding on. As KOTOR fans know, you spend more time on Taris than any other planet so the next few books should be a bit shorter. Book III is coming soon but I could always use some comments to make sure people are liking this. Good or bad, I'm open for them so let them come and thanks for reading.**

**Next: The team attempts to find refuge only to be put on a much bigger quest in Book III: Dantoine. **


End file.
